Strong

Response to prompt 56: The Best Gift- Words of Wisdom

Strong

What does that even mean? Be strong; you're a Patterson. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a million times. I suppose it is said with good intention; a reminder you're strong and you have the power to lift yourself up. Somehow the words do surface when you need them, though maybe "need" isn't the word. Maybe the intention isn't so clean, maybe it's guilt or pride he's after. Sometimes the words are haunting, rather than helpful. Shaming even. Tarnishing the family name when I feel weak, when I cry. Maybe, just maybe, being strong is understanding when you have no fight left it's ok to concede.