Time has tested you. The world has challenged you. Broken hearts are not always the result of a failed relationship–this sort of pain can be inflicted in more than one way. You have been dealt some cards that not one single person should have to deal with. You’ve hurt. You’ve cried. You’ve laid in bed wondering how on earth you’ll be able to face tomorrow's sunshine.

These experiences that you’ve had to endure have tried to harden you, and in many ways they have. You’ve shut down. You’ve checked out. You can’t see the point anymore. You associate this life with hurt, pain, loss, and exclusion. Some days it seems like the light at the end of it all is pretty dim. You're numb. It is like your feet are stuck in mud. Each step that you take requires all of the energy housed inside of you. Your heart is tired. You are tired.

This is for the brokenhearted. The ones that fake smiles because it's easier than admitting that anything is wrong. You weren't made to fake smiles. You weren’t made to fall. You weren’t made to hate the sunshine. You weren’t made to hurt like this. You were made to soak up the sunshine of each day. You were made to love. You were made to laugh until your belly aches.

It pains me that you can’t see how good this life truly is. I wish you a world filled with joy. But my simplest wish for you is that you wake in the morning excited to breathe in the air of today. I wish you could know that not everyone will hurt you. Most of us are filled with good intentions that often get lost in translation. I wish you could truly understand how deeply and faithfully loved you are. I wish that you could hear the song in your heart that gently sings, “Carry on.” I wish that you could look in the mirror and love every inch that you see. And, I truly believe that one day you will. The journey towards acceptance and love of yourself and the world is not for the weary and weak. When you arrive, you’ll be covered by bumps, bruises, and scars. But, you will arrive. For you are a light in the world that shines against all odds. You are your own light at the end of it all. You are a warrior. You’ve got this.