“I know.”
“I didn’t get it at first,” I admitted. “What strength really looks like.”
He nodded, eyes thoughtful. “Most people don’t at sixteen,” he said gently.
And I realized that day in the cafeteria, when my Retired Marine Dad fell in front of everyone, he hadn’t just stood back up off the floor. He’d lifted the weight of fear and silence off my shoulders too — and showed an entire room that strength isn’t about who you can overpower, but who you choose not to.
