Zoe

I am filled with pride at the moment for this little lady. She started living with me in January and truth be told I wasn't sure whether it would work or not but I think we both knew that there was no harm in trying. I have known Zoe for about 10 years and unfortunately those 10 years haven't been the best she could have had. She has lots of battle scars and doubts about herself that I sometimes think run so deep she might let them anchor her and stop her from moving on. Everyday I spend even slightly in her company I see what a wonderful person she is, She sparkles, literally glows. Eve Arnold once commented that when she photographed Marilyn Monroe she would appear to have this glow about her, her pale skin and downy hair were predominately the cause of this but there was also a deeper magic that no matter how much the world around her would tarnish the spirit the magic would fight through. Zoe has this same glow. I catch her on odd occasions where the armour is down and she shares her fears and in those moments you can see all her ghosts. It is a strange situation to find yourself all of a sudden with a teenager, but she is more adultlike than I would have ever anticipated. I know she worries about her future and whether she can achieve the goals she has and I try to reassure her but in uncertain times for everyone it is hard to convince a 17 year old that the world is her oyster. She has started her training for work today and she was nervous but a year ago she would have found a way of getting out of going but this morning she was up at the crack of dawn getting ready. I hope she know's deep down how much everyone loves her and worries about her.