13 Quotes by Claire Bidwell Smith

I realize in this moment that all my life I’ve felt that I deserve to be punished, for wanting so much, for taking so much from this world, from the people who love me.

I’m telling you this story because if ever I die suddenly, I want you to know that there is nothing you could be left wanting to say to me that I wouldn’t already know.

When I lost my mother, I also lost the reflection of myself that she showed me on a daily basis, a reflection of a young woman who was loved and cared about and wanted. Even the most important accomplishments of my lifetime have felt slightly hollow in her absence. Without the person who brought me into this world, I have struggled to feel like I am worthy of having a place in it.

When you’ve gone through something traumatic, when you’ve faced death and loss as much as we have, it’s only natural that it changes your entire view of life.