I hated you. I hated you for so long that I thought I would walk around with a grudge looming over me for the rest of my life. I resented what you did to me and the way you affected every single aspect of my life. I didn't understand; I didn't know why you lurked into my life so catastrophically. You created a Hell so real to me that I never thought I'd see the goodness of the sun again. I never wanted to forgive you, but now I do. I want to thank you.

Thank you for making me strong. You've put me through the worst and now I know how to be my best. I can handle the little curves life throws me with grace and poise. Without you, I would still be wincing at every problem I ever ran into.

Thank you for making me an understanding person. When you happened to me, I didn't understand. How could you do that to me? I didn't deserve it. Nor did anyone else that you hurt, and you hurt SO many people. Now, I have forgiven you and come to terms with what happened. I have become an understanding person in times of sorrow, heart break, and negativity. I understand that life isn't perfect.

Thank you for teaching me how to forgive. It's not easy to let go of the resentment and hate that settles into the brain after it experiences tragedy. You have taught me to let go and I can now appreciate the beauty that blossoms from forgiveness.

Thank you for letting me feel. I was never an emotional person, and when I was it was over silly, petty situations. After you, I could feel. I could feel every little thing that happened to me. At first, it was overwhelming and I couldn't handle the hurt that was festering inside me. That hurt is still there, but so is happiness and love.

Most importantly, thank you for teaching me how to love. It has been an enchanting feeling that I don't know how I lived without. Through strength, understanding, forgiveness and the beauty of feeling, I have gained access to a gift so wondrous that I can view the world differently. Thank you for the chance to feel something so much more powerful than myself. When I hated you and experienced you, I couldn't find it in me to care for anyone else. Now, I love deeper than I ever knew was possible. Through the love you taught me, I can accept that being right is not always the most important thing; happiness is the most important thing. I can relate to people who have not lived the same life as me simply because I have found a way to love a little bit of everyone. Love is such a dynamic emotion; thank you for letting me experience it.

You are something that happened to me. I thought that you held a deathly grasp on my life. You didn't, though. You don't. You are not me. You do not define me. I forgive you, I thank you, and now I'm letting you go.

***This article was written using personification to address an event in my life.