I Have Risen

You have saved me. Just as a mother would protect her child. You have protected me. You saw me lying there, weak, dying in the storm. I was broken. You were somehow able to drag me away. You pulled me from the waves crashing down upon me. It seems that I have been given a second chance at this life, and for this, I thank you.

I was drowning. I had completely lost the will to survive. I was done. I thought that life had finally come to it's untimely end. A darkness was entering me that I could not explain. My intentions were to remain here on this beach until my body fully decayed.

This was the end, and I welcomed it with every breath that entered my body. I prayed for it.... I prayed without belief in a god, but still, I prayed. I did not want to be saved, but still you came. You came like a thief in the night, but still, you came.

You have given me the strength to pull myself from this hell. You have taught me that survival is a choice, which I must make on my own. I once thought that there was only one way out, but you somehow illuminated a light from another source that almost seemed to blind me. I couldn't see it. It brought me pain every time I would shift my gaze in it's direction. I didn't want to look at it. All I could see was despair and desperation. I was totally lost in what seemed to be darkness, as I ignored the light.

I have now awakened. My eyes are still blurry, and my head is not clear but I will soon be on my way. I must open my eyes to see what is before me. I must regain full consciousness before I am able to carry on. Without my footing, I can not take flight. This next step is going to be amazing. I am ready to take the leap.

I rise from the ashes with the coals at my feet. I feel a constant burning desire to get my feet off of the ground. As I ascend into the night sky, I feel the heat rising. This is my fuel. I can feel a fire burning behind me. The pain quickly seems to fade as I think about all that awaits. I was once an eagle, but today, a Phoenix has risen.

For this, I thank you.
I am truly grateful.

Image source