In life, you either win or you learn. Sometimes, there’s no alternative but to learn the lesson. There’s no decision to make. Change is the only path forward. In my case, what taught me the most—what made me grow—was realizing that, halfway through my life, I was completely alone.

I was married for 13 wonderful years. The relationship simply didn’t work out. After that time, we divorced, making sure our two children received all the affection and love they needed. Honestly, I felt relief when we separated, because it resolved the problems we had as a couple. I believe it was the right decision, and I don’t regret it.

In the years that followed, I drifted through casual relationships that didn’t work out either. One day, I looked in the mirror and realized I was alone. I was 46 years old, healthy, with a stable job and so much to be grateful for. But I was alone, and that made me fall into depression. I couldn’t understand how, having so much to give, I had no one to share it with.

Until I understood that what was missing in my life was faith. The faith I had lost as a child. The faith I was able to recover when the day felt darkest. I placed my depression and my sadness in God’s hands. From that moment, everything began to make sense again. Light slowly returned to my life, and I realized it was the first day of the rest of my life. I realized I had a new opportunity—one that comes with every new day.

From that moment on, loneliness didn’t feel so heavy, nor the house so empty. Since then, everything in my life has improved, and even though I’m still alone, I’m no longer afraid of solitude. God is the strength that walks with me from within, the engine that keeps me alive. I know that someday the right person will come into my life, and I’ll be able to share with her all my happiness, everything I have, and everything I am.

Loneliness taught me, and recovering my faith has been the decision that has helped me grow the most in my life.