To: hurt. To: pain. To: me. To: you.

I know it's abrupt, but I do know you need to hear this. Just hear me through.

Why did you think you ever had a chance at changing their minds? Why were you so set on making sure you were liked? Why were you always so worried when small things didn’t go the way you expected it to?

I know I wasn’t clear before, but I will be now.

It’s because you’re afraid of being hurt. Again. And I know the things you’ve been through are horrible, because yes, right now, your life is literal hell. It may not be for the conventional reasons, but to you, it’t the worst thing in the world and you want it to end. I don’t blame you. I really don’t. There are things you’ve been through that are just unthinkable, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. Those nights you fell asleep crying in your bed, thoughts torturing you relentlessly. Those nights that you went to sleep with one thought in your mind: “I don’t want to wake up again.” Those nights that you felt so utterly alone, bringing on sobs that wracked your body until exhaustion became your reprieve. Days bringing nothing but sorrow and more pain. Feeling so numb to the world and like you have no control over your life. I know how it feels, and I’m so sorry.

Believe me, if I could take away the hurt, the pain, I would.

But that’s not the reality of the situation. It might seem like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, that there’s no way out of this hell. I can tell you there is, because I know some things.

You are strong. Going through this crap every single day and waking up the next itself says that you were strong enough to keep going.

You are brave. Believe me, you are. I can’t convince you of everything, but know that what you’ve accomplished just by reading this is more than I could have ever asked for. You can do this. You can.

You are beautiful. Don’t ever doubt that. Let me just put it this way: if you were a character in a book, I’d love you for every single quirk, habit, and feature of your being.

And finally, you are loved. I can’t say by whom, but know there’s a whole universe out there that loves and accepts you. They’ll be there for you when you're at your lowest. And I know words can't do justice to what they can do when you just can't seem to find a will to keep going. But I know something else too. I know they’ll be your light, the cause of your euphoria, and every time your heart beats, you won’t have to think, not even for a second, about how much these people in your world love you, even if they don’t, or can't, tell you.

You mean the world to someone.

“I want you to be your light, baby, you should be your light. So you won’t hurt anymore, so you can smile more.”

Those lines are from a song that I hold close to my heart. It holds true for us all. Please be your own happiness. Please be true to yourself. Please love yourself and accept yourself for everything that makes you you. And when times get hard, remember that there's always someone who believes in you, and that "you deserve to be loved."

“Dawn will come to the darkest of nights.”

You’ll be ok. I promise.