Read gently. Behind every letter is a real person and a real story.
To A
I hope someone is patient with your quiet days. I hope they notice when you need space and when you need to be held. I hope they are gentle with the parts of you that I once k...
You tell the story like I was dramatic and you were confused. That is not what happened. You knew exactly what you were doing, and I am done carrying the version that protects...
To Grandpa
Nobody sits in your chair at family gatherings. We never made a rule about it. We just know.
To You
I used to check your page every night. Then one day I forgot. I did not notice until a week later.
To Dad
You always said I was the easy child. I was not easy. I was scared to need anything.
To Claire
We let one bad season become the end of everything. I wish one of us had been brave enough to call.
To Fourteen-year-old me
You made mistakes because you were hurting and nobody asked why. You did not ruin everything. There was still so much life waiting for you.
To Future me
Being tired is not the same as being done. Please do not choose a life that makes you smaller just because it feels easier today.
To Me
No is a full answer. You do not have to build a courtroom case every time you protect your peace.
I knew something had changed. I felt it in the pauses, the shorter answers, the way you stopped asking questions. I kept pretending because the truth felt too final.
I still believe in God. I just do not believe that what happened to me was holy.
To R
If I could go back, I would still choose the mornings, the long drives, the stupid grocery store dances, and the way you said my name when you were tired. I would not choose t...
For a long time, I thought healing meant you finally understood what you did. It does not. Healing is me no longer needing your understanding.
To Mom
I tell you things while I drive because that is when the missing gets loud. I know nobody is answering. I still leave space for you anyway.
To C
We were not forever, but we were not a mistake either. I learned how deeply I could love, and how much I could survive.
To Mom
When I said I was fine, I wish you had asked again. I know I was hard to reach. I also know I was still hoping you would try.
To Mia
I do not know if we would even recognize each other now. I just know I miss the girls we were before life got complicated.
To Me
You do not need permission from the people who benefited from the old version of you.