I know these stories are supposed to be about what made us give away our keys but I would like to tell you how I received mine instead. Hope that’s okay.
This year has been the hardest year of my life. On top of losing my first love, my job and my beloved grandmother in a matter of weeks, I was knocked backwards when I found out my mother had cancer, my unemployment benefits had been canceled and I was in a car accident. With mounting bills and no more strength to go on, I tried to stop the pain the only way I knew how. I was unsuccessful, in my mind another reminder I was a failure.
Five hours later, sitting in the hospital thinking I couldn’t sink any lower with friends around me that I was too embarrassed to look at, my roommate handed me a key and with tears in her eyes said “You need this more than me.” On this key was the word “COURAGE”. That night I was shipped off to a facility for 72 hours and even though they searched me and took away anything with a string, they never checked my neck for the key that hung around it. For 72 hours while I felt like I was in hell I was able to keep that key around my neck as a sign that I was loved more than I could ever have possibly imagined. It’s only been two months since that terrifying night but I’m still here and every time it gets too much all I have to do is look at my key and see that I have the courage to see this through. I wouldn’t say a key saved my life, more like a community, but I would say that this key keeps me going every day and one day I pray I’ll be able to find someone who needs it more than me.
This year has been the hardest year of my life. On top of losing my first love, my job and my beloved grandmother in a matter of weeks, I was knocked backwards when I found out my mother had cancer, my unemployment benefits had been canceled and I was in a car accident. With mounting bills and no more strength to go on, I tried to stop the pain the only way I knew how. I was unsuccessful, in my mind another reminder I was a failure.
Five hours later, sitting in the hospital thinking I couldn’t sink any lower with friends around me that I was too embarrassed to look at, my roommate handed me a key and with tears in her eyes said “You need this more than me.” On this key was the word “COURAGE”. That night I was shipped off to a facility for 72 hours and even though they searched me and took away anything with a string, they never checked my neck for the key that hung around it. For 72 hours while I felt like I was in hell I was able to keep that key around my neck as a sign that I was loved more than I could ever have possibly imagined. It’s only been two months since that terrifying night but I’m still here and every time it gets too much all I have to do is look at my key and see that I have the courage to see this through. I wouldn’t say a key saved my life, more like a community, but I would say that this key keeps me going every day and one day I pray I’ll be able to find someone who needs it more than me.
