Dear Someone,

It's been years since we've seen one another. You are probably out there somewhere today, never thinking about what you did to me. I am probably an insignificant occasional thought at best. I just want you to know, although I am glad that you are no longer a part of my life - I forgive you. I forgive you for cursing at me constantly and calling me horrible names that I was too young to understand. I just want you to know, I did not grow up to be a drug dealing prostitute like you once screamed at me through a locked door. Instead, I chose to go to college, and make something of myself. I even made the Dean's List almost every semester, despite the fact that you taught me that I was the stupidest person on earth. I still have the scars - on my knee, my foot, my arm, and elsewhere - both inflicted by you and by myself. When I see them, a faint memory of you flashes through my mind, but I don't feel the pain anymore. You don't have any power over me anymore. I am in control of my life now.

That therapist that you called expletives and told my family that she had no merit whatsoever, not only helped me get over the things you did to me and my family, but she also became a mentor to me. She helped me figure out that I want to help kids who are like I was, who were hurt by people like you. I want to help kids learn to love themselves, know they are valuable, and move on. I hope they will learn to forgive their abusers too. Maybe they won't, and that is perfectly okay. No one owes their abuser forgiveness. I only hope they learn to forgive because forgiveness is what saved me. When I forgave you, I took away all the power you had over me. You see, because before I forgave you, all the anger, hatred, fear, and sorrow that I was harboring inside myself weren't hurting you. Those feelings were hurting me. When I decided to forgive, you couldn't make me feel that way anymore. I only hope that you have changed, and your biological children are happy with you. I hope that you don't have that power over anyone anymore. I hope that you never tore another child's self-esteem apart, or laid another hand on another child. I don't hate you anymore.

Sincerely,
The Little Girl You Couldn't Keep Hurting