Dear Survivors,
It is not your fault.
Do not, even for a second, feel guilty for living. Every breath you have taken since that day and every breath you will take is nothing short of a miracle. It is not your fault that those innocent souls were taken too soon. It is not a guilt that you need to carry around on your shoulders for being alive. I don’t know why horrible things happen to such amazing people. I wish I could say this will turn out to be a blessing in disguise, but I can’t. Your life has been forever altered by the horrendous act of one man.
There is nothing wrong with you. The man that did this, that caused so much pain and horror is sick. There is nothing wrong with you. You are beautiful and perfect just the way you are and don’t let anyone tell you differently. You are strong. You are beautiful. You are alive. In my eyes, you are a hero.
You are so incredibly strong. Days or nights may come when you feel like you want to give up, to quit going. I am humbly asking you don’t. I don’t know what you’ve been through. I don’t know what you are going through now and every day. I don’t know the thoughts that raced through your head when you believed you were going to die. I don’t know. I will never know. Through this tragedy you were given a voice. A voice with a story people will listen to long after you leave the world. Use your voice to tell the world in the hopes that nothing like this will ever happen again. But more importantly, use your voice in remembrance. Honor those who were lost in the shooting, people you knew and people maybe you have only seen in passing. Help their legacy live on through your words in order to give their families knowledge that their loved ones will not be forgotten.
You, the survivors, created a sense of hope and unity across the globe. People you’ve never met before are showing support for you. New York, Australia, the UK, France, and many more waving flags, showing signs of respect and support for the LGBT community. You unified the globe through this tragedy.
Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are OK, right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.” Go to your friends, family, the people you love and tell them that you love them, because you still can. Then tell your story, even when you’re weak and your voice shakes, so that no friend, family, or any other person will ever have to say I love you to ears that can no longer hear them.
