Empowered And Inspired

When I look at my best friend Anna I see a brave, courageous women who fights for the ones she loves.

Anna got married in her early twenties and as an outsider, things seemed to be going pretty well in her life. Anna and her husband seemed happy when I would see them together. Eventually they had a little boy. While their son was still young I started to see the twinkle in Anna's eye fade when she was with her husband.

My birthday is in the summer and I invited Anna and her family to come and celebrate. Only Anna and her son came.She had to leave early because that was when her husband came to pick her up. I could sense a lot of tension between them as she was leaving. It wasn't long after that I started to see the courageous side of Anna.

It turned out that Anna's husband had been abusive toward her multiple times and she was afraid that in time he might be abusive to their son as well. Anna and her husband often had different days off of work. She made a plan for her and her son to escape while her husband was at work. They went somewhere safe that even I didn't know where it was. I can't even imagine the fear that Anna must have felt leaving with her three month old baby. In time she felt safe and secure enough to get an apartment and make a fresh start. Anna is like the little sister I never had and it was very difficult to see her go through this.

Anna got used to them being a family of two. We had many nights of me bringing over pizza, playing games with her son, and watching "Four Weddings" on television, dreaming of our own happily every afters.

As the years went by Anna felt that she could trust men again and decided to look for a mate. She ended up in a long distance relationship with Matthew. Right from the start they were very happy together. I instantly saw that special twinkle return to her eyes. Matthew loved Anna's son as if he was his own. He moved up the day before their wedding. They had a beautiful beach wedding and I had the honor of standing beside Anna and witnessing their love for each other.

It has been great to see the connection between Anna and Matthew blossom and also Matthew's connection with Anna's son. They look and walk alike and have similar mannerisms. You'd really think he was Matthew's biological son.

Anna, Matthew and their precious son are proof that the good things in life truly are worth waiting for.