Dear bullies,

You hurt me. I'll admit it.

You took a lot of time and energy out of me. You belittled me and berated me. You tore me down until I was no more.

You thought you got the best of me, but you thought wrong.

You told lies and made-up stories to everyone you met. You posted pictures of me questioning my existence. You laughed at me in the halls, followed by faint whispers of my name.

You thought you got the best of me, but you thought wrong.

You made me cry. You took all my so-called friends for yourself. You found pleasure in my weaknesses.

You thought you got the best of me, but you thought wrong.

Yes, I did reach a point where I thought I couldn't keep going. Yes, you made me hate myself. Yes, you accomplished that, congratulations.

Not for long, though. I found myself in the darkness, hidden by the blanket of your lies. I told Satan, "No more." I rose up and decided that today was going to be the day that I win.

I can now proudly say thank you. Thank you for making me a better person. Thank you for teaching me lessons that I couldn't learn by myself. I am no longer phased by people like you. I have surrounded myself with light and happiness, a barrier which you can not cross.

You gave me strength. You gave me confidence. You gave me a new, guarded heart - a precious, beautiful heart.

Your words and actions mean no more to me. You mean no more to me.

I am done wasting my tears on you. I am done giving you satisfaction. I am DONE with all your games. You can continue to try to hurt me, but you will be wasting your time.

I'll be doing my own thing, maturing and growing.

I'll be praying for you. I'll be praying that you move on from this stage of life. I'll be praying that you find your happiness in Jesus instead of my brokenness.

Thank you for doing what you did. I love myself more than ever now. And I don't need your permission to do so.

Yours truly,

A New, Better Woman