The Quiet Power of Survival
by Richard Valdez -www. RichardValdezRE.com for Casa Alon
Reconnecting With the Past
It was good seeing Menchi again (my sister). There’s something grounding about reconnecting with someone who remembers where the cracks first began. As we talked, she shared stories that stretched back to the time before our mother, Cora — moments that painted a clearer picture of the chaos we all once lived through.
The Mask of Generosity and Hidden Darkness
None of it surprised me. That kind of darkness doesn’t suddenly appear; it lingers, hidden beneath the surface, wearing the mask of generosity. Cora, used money like a weapon — not to lift people up, but to make them kneel. It was never about love, only control.
What Survival Really Looks Like
But we survived her. We outlasted the manipulation, the guilt, the noise. And that’s what power really looks like — not revenge, not rage, but quiet endurance. The kind that turns pain into distance, and distance into peace.
Choosing Peace Over Chaos
Because the truth is, the best revenge isn’t wishing someone’s downfall. It’s learning to live so freely that their existence no longer matters. It’s choosing peace over chaos, truth over illusion, and self-respect over approval.
The real victory is this: waking up in the morning knowing you no longer owe anyone your pain.
Gratitude and the Freedom of Distance
And this year, as the world rushes into its season of gratitude, I find myself thankful for something simple and profound — I am thankful for the quiet power of my own survival.
Thankful that I can sit with my past without letting it swallow me.
Thankful that I can look back at everything that tried to break me and still say, I’m here.
Thankful that peace — real peace — is finally something I can choose, not something I have to beg for.
That is my gratitude this year: that I survived, I grew, and I am no longer living under anyone’s shadow.
Reflections on Healing
Healing doesn’t always look like forgiveness. Sometimes it’s silence. Sometimes it’s boundaries. Sometimes it’s walking away from the noise and choosing a life that no longer needs defending.
The people who once tried to break us end up teaching us the most important lesson of all — that peace is not given, it’s claimed. And when we finally claim it, we stop needing their validation altogether.
When Healing Doesn’t Look Like Forgiveness
That’s the quiet power of survival. It’s not loud, it doesn’t need to prove anything — it simply lives, breathes, and moves forward. - Richard Valdez
