You are the best person I know.

I have watched people hurt you, far too many times. I have watched you lose your parents, your siblings, and your best friends in some of the worst ways. And now, I'm watching you lose the love of your life.

For so long you have been the good in a bad, bad world. You have been the sunshine, the laughter, and the love that inspires the world to do better, to be better. You are pure, unselfish, and wise beyond your years. You give more than you take, and those are my favorite type of people.

Today, you are the storm. You are the tears, and you are the broken. It's your turn. And while I hate to see this happening to you, I know there's a method to His madness. I'm not sure what lesson God's got for you, or me, or anybody, but I know this is another storm you can weather.

This is your turning point. It's the first page in a new chapter and you are the book. It's the beginning of a new story; Who You Want To Be. You will deal with the hurt. You will cry your tears and there will be days when you want to give up, but somehow, you will still get sh*t done. You'll wonder how you got here, and retrace your steps so many times you get lost in the words, and you will never find the answers you so desperately seek. You'll cry, and stop eating, and wish that you were numb. And when the day comes, that you are finally numb, you will breathe a sigh of relief. There will be no more pain, no more sadness, and no more anger. There will be nothingness.

That's when you stop hurting again. That's when you've burned through every emotion in your body, when you rise up from the ashes of the girl you used to be, and build yourself into the woman you'll become.

That hope is hard to see right now. That light at the end of the tunnel is out of your sight, but it's there. It's burning, waiting for you. It will appear when you're ready to see it.

The people you've lost have been cowardly. They've taken the easy way out. Instead of facing their demons, they've turned away, and they've run. They are not like you. They are not brave like you. They won't face what they've done to you-- not yet-- but they will. And when they come crawling back, and ask for your forgiveness, you'll experience weakness like you've never felt before. Your faith in yourself, in the lessons you've learned, will waiver, and you'll want to give in. But in that moment, I want you to think about this:

What does this moment mean to you? What do you want it to mean? This story that is your life, is it a tale of forgiveness? Of redemption? Of torture and pain? Is it a lesson learned? A bridge too many people have burned? Or is it a new chapter?

Pain is inevitable. Hurt is unavoidable. In every chapter of your life, you will get cut so deep it'll feel fatal, but you will stitch yourself together every time and collect a new battle scar. You will turn the page, with each encounter, and move forward. You'll put more words to the page, and you'll flourish. You choose the people with the power to hurt you, from this page on.

I know this, because I know you.