Thanks to God, I can’t say that I’ve had “difficult years.” I’ve never lacked anything. My life, like everyone’s, has been a roller coaster full of highs and lows. I’ve had very good years, others not so much, but my family and I have always had health, work, a place to sleep, and food on our table.

If I have to choose a period in my life as “difficult years,” I can say it’s what I’m living through now—more emotionally than physically or mentally. A couple of years ago, I found myself at a point in my life where I felt completely alone. Despite having my family and friends by my side, there is nothing sadder than feeling lonely while surrounded by people. That inner emptiness, unlike anything I had ever felt before, marked my life at a turning point where I knew I had to do something to escape that lethargy.

My solution was to recover my faith. That emptiness and that sense of loneliness still surround me and depress me from time to time, but my unwavering faith and my trust in God have helped me overcome that sorrow. I feel that my difficult years are not over yet—that there are lessons I still need to learn and that I must prepare myself for what is to come. But while the lesson remains unfinished, my trust in God is my light and my guide to see the path that unfolds before me each day.