Thank you for not paying any child support all those years because you allowed me to survive, thrive, and show the kid’s what loyalty, strength, and perseverance looks like.
Thank you for molesting me in the 5th grade; you showed me that I needed to educate my children about men like you.
Thank you for always cheating on me because of you I am learning to love myself unconditionally.
Thank you for not loving me enough or when it was convenient; I am learning how I want to be loved and how I need to be loved.
Thank you for never telling me you are proud of me; I am learning how to accept praise without feeling like I am not good enough. *right now, this is the hardest
Thank you for being the 1st guy to break my heart; you showed me exactly how strong my heart could be.
Thank you for letting your father make sexual advances and comments to me; you showed me that not all men are protectors.
Thank you for raping me in college, lying to me about what happened, and shaming me to everyone; you gave me a voice to help other women speak up about being sexually violated.
Thank you for treating me like an outcast in high school; I learned that different is normal for me.
Thank you for showing me that my “daddy” issues; I am learning that they are actually a strength to be nourished and not a weakness to diminish who I am.
Thank you for looking me in my face and telling me “You are dead to me”; I am learning to undo this emotional damage I have held onto for so long.
Thank you for treating me like a sex object; I am learning to love my body, take care of my body, and honor my body.
Thank you for taking me to the movies every Sunday and holding me in your arms; you gave me a glimpse of what it felt like to be adored for who I was and not for my body.
Thank you for saying those wonderful things to me in college; your words continue to give me courage, and your words replay in my head when I need them most.
Thank you for NOT having sex with me when I was drunk; you showed me that there are a few men out there who are gentlemen with morals and values.
Thank you for loving me and then lying to me over and over, shattering my heart into a million pieces to the point where they were no longer able to fit together; I am learning how to be worthy and deserving of love.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For allowing me to unleash my inhibitions, begin to love who I am I am inside and out, move past all the hindering thoughts that kept me up at night, giving myself permission to live my life the way I ultimately desire, — because you are truly helping me unveil the woman who has been forced to hide.
From my fingertips to your eyes,