Throughout my life, my mother kept telling me I was strong.  I did not understand it much then, but I do now.  I am really starting to see the impact of her words.  I was a preemie, and back then, preemies did not always survive.  I believe that she called me strong because she wanted me to be.  Somehow, she must have realized that there were going to be times in my life when I needed to be strong.  There have been occasions when I have felt so overwhelmed, and I did not think that I was going to make it, but I did.  Each time a situation has come along and filled me with despair, I have mustered up the courage to pull through.  I am a survivor.  My mother was and always has been rooting for me, and today my mother’s words still echo in my mind and heart, “you are stronger than you think.”