Witness to Strength
Some forms of strength don’t announce themselves. They unfold quietly, through pain endured with grace and dignity — the kind of strength that never asks to be seen, yet shapes everything it touches.
Witness to Strength
There are rare and special people in the world with a quiet, hidden strength. They experience pain, yet somehow gardens grow from the tears they shed. Their strength is often concealed beneath layers of self-doubt — so well hidden, in fact, that they often fail to see it themselves.
I’ve had the rare privilege of knowing a few of these people in my life. One of them has been my companion for the past twenty years or so of this journey. I’m tempted to put her name here — she’d be embarrassed if I did — but I feel compelled to give her a quiet, public nod of appreciation.
There’s a kind of silence that follows after someone’s been wounded by the words or actions of others. It’s not the silence of peace, but of endurance. It’s the pause a person takes while they decide whether to carry that pain or set it down.
In spite of the old “sticks and stones” rhyme, the truth is that words hurt. And once they are spoken, they float like hurtful ghouls in our memories — morbid reminders of just how much they stung. The words don’t have to be shouted; in fact, shouted words are often easier to dismiss. It’s the smaller ones — diminishing, casual — that leave bruises no one else can see.
I’ve watched her struggle with that. And what strikes me most isn’t the pain itself, but the way she climbs from the despair of it to a place of dignity. She doesn’t let anger turn into cruelty. She doesn’t rewrite the story to hide her mistakes, or to make others the villain. She just pauses, sheds her tears, and carries the pain with her — faltering at first, then with increasing resolve and grace, letting time and truth do the work.
Strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s simply refusing to let bitterness take root. That’s the battle she fights, day after day — holding her ground while trying not to let the ground harden her. And that quiet resilience is something worth seeing.
About the Author
Rod Price has spent his career in human services, supporting mental health and addiction recovery, and teaching courses on human behavior. A lifelong seeker of meaning through music, reflection, and quiet insight, he created Quiet Frontier as a space for thoughtful conversation in a noisy world.