To the Girl Without a Dad,

I know what it feels like. To get your hopes up only to be disappointed by the one man in your life who is never supposed to let you down. To go to the Father-Daughter Dance with your grandfather, or your uncle. To feel your chest deflate as the curtain pulls back on opening night and to see a vacant seat where he is supposed to be. To have a swirling mix of both anger and longing for the man you call your father.

You are not alone.

Although it feels like every other girl on the planet is a Daddy's Girl at times, you are not alone. There are so many others who know what that sting of rejection feels like. To know what it feels like to know your father was your first real heartbreak, not your first love. To feel like something is wrong with you because your dad just can't bring himself to care about you.

There is nothing wrong with you.

Please don't let him dull your sparkle. There is something wrong with a man who doesn't want to know his child, not with the child who wanted nothing more than to have a relationship with their father.

You can learn to trust again.

I know you feel like you're holding your breath. You feel like you have to walk on eggshells whenever you meet someone new, because what if you get your hopes up just to be let down again? You will get past this feeling. You will not feel isolated by your own worries forever.

You are worthy.

Although you may not feel like you deserve a happy, healthy relationship because of what you've been through, I can promise you that you do. Do not sell yourself short of what you deserve. Do not toss your self-respect in the trash because you've never felt respected by a guy. Do. Not. Sell. Yourself. Short. You are a badass, and you deserve the world.

You are strong as hell.

Recognize that it takes some extreme badassery to push past all the hurt and the confusion. It takes strength to accept the hurt and confusion, and to better yourself despite it. Look at all you have accomplished and how far you have gotten without him. Give yourself some credit and love, because you are a fucking warrior.

And no matter what, just keep on keeping on.