emstrongCruel Summer/strong/em

Have you ever had a summer that changed your life forever?

For me, it was the summer of 1993. I was 16 years old, and I was living in a small town in the Midwest. It was a hot, humid summer, and the days seemed to stretch on forever. I spent most of my time hanging out with my friends, swimming in the local pool, and going to the movies.

One day, I met a boy named David. He was new in town, and he was unlike anyone I had ever met before. He was intelligent, funny, and charming. We started spending more and more time together, and I quickly fell in love with him.

But our summer romance was not to be. David's parents had a falling out, and he had to move away. I was heartbroken, but I knew that I would never forget him.

The following summer, I met another boy named John. John was everything that David was not. He was quiet, shy, and introverted. But there was something about him that drew me to him.

We started dating, and I soon realized that I had made a mistake. John was not the boy for me. He was too different from me, and we had nothing in common.

I broke up with John, and I was once again alone. I spent the rest of the summer feeling lost and confused. I didn't know what I wanted out of life, and I didn't know who I was anymore.

But then, one day, I met a boy named Michael. Michael was different from anyone I had ever met before. He was kind, compassionate, and understanding. He made me laugh, and he made me feel like I was special.

We started dating, and I quickly fell in love with him. Michael was the boy I had been waiting for my whole life. He was the one who made me whole.

We've been together ever since, and we're now happily married with two beautiful children. I'm so grateful for the cruel summer that brought us together.

If you're going through a tough time, just remember that there is always hope. The future is unwritten, and anything is possible.

So don't give up on your dreams. Keep fighting for what you believe in, and never let anyone tell you that you can't achieve your goals.

You are stronger than you think, and you can overcome anything.