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Gratitude #18: Growth

There's a photograph of me that I see every day. It hangs in my front room.
It was taken more than three years ago.
And when I look at that girl, that version of me,
I'm grateful for all she knew and how far she'd come
(it was a long, long way).
I see her with fondness,
she's twenty-two-and-eleven-twelfths YEARS of me.
But also recognize
there's three years, five months, and twenty-six days more to that girl now
and while she has new scars, heartaches, and a few wrinkles to boot
she's even better now
and dare I say more beautiful now?
than she used to be.
I'm grateful for growth
despite the difficulty
that often gets us there.

(Here's the photo...)

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