| Honored by: | Keith Moore |
| Brick location: | B:6 map |
I am neither heroine nor great, although my truly incredible parents saw fit to buy me a brick, so they must think I am.
What I am, instead, is a survivor – not of sickness or trauma, but of myself. A victim of insecurity, bullying and shyness, I internalized anger. My adolescence, which extended well into my twenties, included severe alcoholism and drug addiction. Betrayed, abused, raped, and passed out on sidewalks, I spent years in faux rebellion.
The horrific situations into which I put myself finally caused me to rethink my lifestyle – and to stop killing myself, with the help of several thousand anonymous alcoholics who came before me. I faced my own demons, conquered the rage I'd never before faced, and found a place in a society I'd always rebelled against.
I have never fit in. But I don't hate myself for it anymore. After two college degrees that couldn't find corresponding careers, decades of sobriety, marriage to a kind man, and the births of our two phenomenally perfect sons, I don't need to fit in.
People love me in spite of – and maybe because of – my differences. I love my children beyond infinity. I love dogs, music, Disney and trees. I spend my days trying not to worry that I'm not perfect, improving what I can improve. I've always been in a bubble of sorts, watching as people eradicate nature to make way for more people. I loathe it, but I believe that there is more to life than the world we see. I am 100% certain that there is a God. I am dazed with gratitude for my family and these glorious days filled with fun, laughter, exquisite beauty and love.
Submitted 7/13/94; updated 10/28/2013