I received my key with the word strength on it for my birthday this past summer. Working as a paraprofessional at a middle school is hard some days. Some days you are overjoyed with happiness and some days you want to cry or scream. I decided to work on having inner strength at school and in my life overall. I came to realize that it is okay to cry or to be happy even if others aren't, it's okay to be mad, and it is okay to be alone. Having inner strength is knowing you can do it and even to love yourself. None of this can happen over night but rather a process. Sometime it is extremely difficult.
My friend recently lost a friend that was killed on duty as a police officer. He was only 24 with his whole life ahead of him and was extremely passionate about what he did. I decided to gift my strength key to her so she can have some extra strength during this time. I continue to work on having inner strength myself with each day getting stronger. Some days may be a step back but some days are giant leaps forward.
-Kelli
