LETTERSKO

  There was a time in my life when everything felt like it was falling apart. My body was tired and sick. I had bulging eyes, my hair was dry and thin, and I looked older than I really was. There were days my heart would race so fast, I wondered if it would just stop. I had pain in my body, and bleeding that made me weak. People looked at me strangely. Some laughed. Some whispered. Some were cruel with their words. And some simply turned away. But I did not give up. Because I had you. You were still in high school — so young, with dreams still ahead of you. And even though I felt broken, I still woke up each morning for you. I washed the dishes. I worked. I worried. I prayed. Even when your father left us. Even when neighbors tried to take what little we had. Even when I cried silently at night, and no one heard — I still chose to fight. Not because I was strong every day. But because my love for you was stronger than all the pain in me. You may not remember every m...

  To the woman they mocked, abandoned, and overlooked: I see you. You were not just sick — You were bleeding, shaking, walking alone through whispers. They called you ugly. They judged your hair, your weight, your face, your silence. But they didn’t see the woman who was fighting for her life. A husband left. Neighbors circled like vultures. Your body cried for help. And through it all — You kept showing up. You were not weak. You were overloaded . And even when you were breaking — you still held your child, your home, your soul together. That is not something everyone can do. But you did. You were not “ugly.” You were exhausted. You were not “nothing.” You were surviving everything.

  To the girl who kept walking while they called her ugly: They pointed. They laughed. They called you names you never deserved. And you… you kept walking. You may have looked down. You may have cried when you got home. You may have questioned yourself. But you survived it. You didn’t scream back. You didn’t fall apart. That is strength. That is beauty. That is something those kids may never understand. One day, someone will see you and not look away. Not laugh. Not whisper. But sit beside you — and say: “You’re not what they called you. You’re what you became despite them.”

  To the girl who felt like the outsider in her own blood: You were quiet because they gave you no room to speak. You stood at the edge because no one pulled you close. You waited to be seen, while they chose to look past you. But that didn’t mean you were unworthy. That didn’t mean you didn’t belong. It meant they were blind to your beauty. And that’s not your fault. You were soft. You were kind. You were wounded — yes. But you were present . You were real . One day, you’ll build a space — even if it’s just for yourself — where you no longer have to ask for a seat. You’ll already know: You belong there.

  Dear Me, They stared. Some laughed. Some looked away. Even the children seemed afraid. And in those moments, you thought: “Maybe I am ugly. Maybe they’re right.” But they weren’t. You weren’t ugly. You were tired. You were swollen. You were sick. And no one told you that even in that state — you were worthy of being treated with kindness. But I’m telling you now: You were never something to fear. You were someone to care for. You were someone who needed softness , not silence. You didn’t scare them. Their hearts just weren’t taught to understand pain that shows on the outside.

  You looked at me and said I was “very, very ugly.” But you didn’t know the battle I was fighting inside. You didn’t know the diagnosis, the weight loss, the swelling, the anxiety, the medications. You didn’t see how many times I cried before leaving the house. You saw me for two seconds. I’ve been living with this for months… years. And your words didn’t reflect truth — they reflected your lack of kindness. I am not your idea of beauty. I am a person who survived judgment from people like you. And I forgive myself for ever letting your words define me.

  They said I looked like an addict. But I was fighting for my life. My body changed. My weight dropped. My eyes betrayed me. My hands trembled — not from drugs, but from disease. And while they whispered rumors, I whispered prayers. While they turned away, I faced each day. I am not what they said. I am not their assumption. I am not their insult. I am a survivor of a condition they never took the time to understand. And I forgive myself for ever believing them.

  You weren’t a costume. You weren’t a ghost. You were a girl fighting an illness, doing her best to show up in a world that mocked what it didn’t understand. He didn’t know your name — but still, he tried to name your pain. He didn’t know your story — but he decided to laugh at your scars. But what he saw as a joke, was actually your courage. Because it takes real strength to be seen in public when your body is changing, your confidence is broken, and your soul is tired. You kept walking. You didn’t disappear. That makes you more powerful than anyone who tried to reduce you to a punchline. And no — you were never the ghost. You were always the one surviving the storm.

  You didn’t deserve their words. You were not “too emotional,” “too thin,” “too slow,” “too weird.” You were hurting — and still, you showed up. Still, you fought. Their cruelty didn’t break you. Their gossip didn’t win. You walked through fire, and maybe your hands still shake — but you survived. And that makes you stronger than they’ll ever understand. You are not what they said. You are what you survived. With love, The stronger version of you.

  “I release the need to be understood by those who never really saw me. I don’t need a crowd to feel valuable. I don’t need fake friendships to feel wanted. My peace is my home, and I return to it with grace.”

  “You smile at me, but I can feel the distance behind your eyes. You laugh, but your silence when I walk away is louder. I don’t hate you — I just don’t trust you anymore. I choose peace over pretending. ”_

  Dear Me, I know you’re tired of pretending to be okay around people who don’t really care. I know you've felt left out, talked about, misunderstood — even when you've done nothing wrong. But you are not the problem. Your peace makes noise in a noisy world. Your silence reveals the truth that others try to hide. Stay simple. Stay soft. Stay kind. You don’t need loud approval to be whole. You are already enough, just as you are. With love, Me