We all have lessons to learn. Some big, some small, but there are lessons waiting around every corner. Lessons come in various shapes and sizes, in different experiences, in different people. Even people we don't have fondness for teach us lessons, whether we realize it or not. Most of the time, we learn our lessons from our parents, but who's to say these aren't the same person?

So, thank you, father, for teaching me some of the biggest lessons I know, lessons I didn't even think I needed to learn. Thank you for teaching me that it's not always blood that is family. Thank you for proving to me that people don't always tell the truth, that not everybody stays, even when they say they love you. Thank you for allowing me to be cautious about who I get close to, for helping me to be confident enough in myself to know I deserve better. Thank you.

For the longest time, I believed that you ruined my life. In some ways, I still do. I wish I didn't have the experiences with you that I do. I wish I didn't feel the torment of your leaving everyday. I wish I didn't wonder why I wasn't good enough for you.

I wish. But, wishes don't always come true. We only get one life, just one life to live, and we have limited choices as to how it unfolds. You were my unwanted beginning, and you will be my unwanted end. You're always here with me whether I want you to be or not, and I hate to admit that sometimes I wonder how you are. It's crazy how I can still care, even just a little, about you. After everything that you've done to me, in spite of me, I still care. You make me careful about who I let into my heart. Thank you.

But you are also the reason I need to find someone to repair it. You broke it over and over, and it has to be fixed. You have taught me so many lessons, and I bet there are lessons that I have yet to learn from you. You've taught me to be wary, and you've taught me to put up walls. You're the reason I go through heartbreak after heartbreak, but still keep a strong front for everyone to see. Thank you for being the reason I wonder about people's true motives, wonder what they're truly thinking. You make me wonder about everything I don't know.

If it ever becomes possible for me to understand why you did what you did or why you made me feel the way I do, I don't know if I'd want to. While the closure would be nice, I don't think I'm done learning lessons from you. And, if there ever comes a day that you walk back into my life, I will turn, and walk the other way. I am thankful for the lessons you gave me, but our time has passed. I hope you have a great life. I do. That's one of the first things you taught me, that life is too short to hold a grudge. So, I forgive you, but I will never forget you, even when I have every reason to.