I Am

She looks in the mirror.

Who am I? she asks.

How do I not yet know?

I’m a mom, daughter, sister, friend, wife, teacher.

No, no—those are roles, she thinks,

Simply parts I play.

Who am I? she asks again.

I am.

I am.

I am scared to answer.

What if I’m not who I think I am?

What if I’m not what I’ve built myself up to be?

What if… what if… I’m an imposter,

Just acting out the life I want,

Acting out who I want to be?

Could it be true?

The falsehood of it?

She stares herself in the eyes.

She looks deeper,

Until she can no longer see her outward appearance—

The world around her becomes a blur.

Yet, now.

Now she sees.

She sees that the mirror could never reflect the truth.

Her truth lies within.

She pauses, unsure if she should believe it,

Suddenly scared of her own strength.

Life.

Life is.

Life is experience.

Suddenly, she sees it.

We are a reflection of these experiences.

How could I doubt myself?

How could I not trust the experiences that have made me who I am?

The experiences that,

Like my reflection,

Are only the surface of what I—and everyone around me—see.

She is more than what people see.

She is more than what she sees.

In the face of life’s often painful experiences,

She has persevered.

She has dug deep to find strength she didn’t know she had.

She has found faith when all seemed lost.

She has smiled through pain.

She has found truth in lies,

And light in darkness.

She is strong.

I am strong.

She is love.

I am love.

She is light.

I am light.

She is more than anyone will ever see.

I am unfinished.

I am me.