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Letizia Florez

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As a young girl, I dreamed of being a model. I thought that being on the cover of a magazine or on television was the ultimate accomplishment. I grew up feeling frustrated and trapped because my life did not match the dreams I visualized. Today I realize true feeling of accomplishment comes from overcoming challenges and obstacles, not through popularity and fame.When I was 15, my father was diagnosed with cancer. The following years were marked by struggle, heartache, and adjustment. Suddenly, my dreams seemed unimportant next to the task of ensuring that my four siblings grew up to be healthy and successful. Just when I began to feel a sense of peace about my family and had graduated from college, I was faced with another obstacle. I was involved in a devastating auto accident that left me in a wheelchair for four months.I suffered collapsed lungs, a crushed right foot, fractured left foot, cracked collarbone, and cracked ribs. Now I faced a long and difficult rehabilitation process. However, the biggest challenge was to be still and come face to face with my SELF. As painful as it was, I listened to the depths of my soul and gained the self-knowledge I yearned for all my life.I began to understand that I am not my body. My body is a temporary vehicle through which I express being.I discovered that life and personal experiences are a state of mind that we control with every thought, word, and action.I understood that my being and intelligence are the same being and intelligence that we all share and pervades all space.I realized that time is merely a man-made system of measuring and organizing activity, and when activity ceases, so does time.Although I continue to struggle with the physical effects of the accident, I now feel an absolute sense of joy in knowing that pursuing one’s purpose in life is the greatest freedom.