A toast to those who

- have had their defining moments of clarity.
- finally fought the demons in their lives.
- overcame their fears & stepped forward.
- walked along without a final glance at the car crash.
- came clean & owned up to their pack of lies.
- broke down & rose from the turmoil.
- wiped away tears & broke into a smile; the kind of smile that comes from recovering.
- saved others from their destructive selves.
- fell in love with open arms & open hearts.
- drowned in their own soundtrack, marched to their own beat.
- bravely faced the aftermath.
- walked naked & showed the world their scars.
- believed in hope; in rainbows after downpours.
- sang to their hearts content, feeling every emotion brought by every lyric.
- unleashed the artist within & created beauty from the mess.
- took time to appreciate what good things pain somehow brought.
- opened their hearts once more.
- burned to ashes their sorrows & anguish.
- swayed, stumbled, but did not fall.
- got out of bed, aching, but still moving along.
- fought the many battles of love.

We, the weak individuals, tattered, torn, flawed, broken, however you wish to see it … We lost our share of battles. We faced too many uncertainties. Fools, perhaps. Merely humans. Believing, somehow. Fate shaped us; life taught us. So we live.