A Time You were Strong/Proudest Moment

If you're up to sharing, tell us about a time you were emotionally sturdy/strong in the face of adversity, even if you no longer feel it...

Mine: Once, I was strong. My father was serving in Iraq and I was 15 years old. We lived in Northern New York at the Time (my mother and I). It was the dead of winter and we didn't own a snowblower. I was attending a new school about ten times the size of my previous one and we lived in town, which meant we had an obligation to keep the sidewalks clean. I wasn't doing so great at the new school with friends, in fact, I was often relentlessly tormented. My mom was going through a lot, so I couldn't bring my issues home and each morning, because of that damned lack of snowblower, I was shoveling through feet of lake effect snow. It was before the sun was up, it was before my long day of torment, and it was always alone. Yet, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to shovel that sidewalk clean, deal with those bullies, and make sure my mom did alright. I did it every morning without complaint. I grew muscle. I sharpened my mind in the cold. I regulated my body through exercise, and I listened to my favorite music. Every morning, that sidewalk was clean and I was off to school smiling. It didn't matter if I felt happy or not. I was in control.

Why? I had a threat. I had a reason to fight the things lesser than myself for the sake of the things bigger than myself. And it is the proudest I have ever been of who I am.

What about you guys? What are some moments of strength you remember? When is the last time you felt strong? Do you now?