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Dear _____
Honestly, I didn’t even know the right name to call you, definitely not Dad, Dad doesn’t seem like a good enough fit. I’m writing this purely to say thank you. It’s not your average thank you letter, in fact it’s quite the opposite. But why beat around the bush any longer, I want you to know how grateful I am that you moved when I was nine. There wasn’t any reason for you and your new wife to stay close anymore, especially since trouble was soon to come. So that was it, honestly that’s one of the things I DONT remember, which is odd because I remember a lot about my childhood. But I don’t remember you ever saying goodbye, watching you pack or waving goodbye as you drove away. Maybe that was because you didn’t say goodbye, or you left in a hurry-but like I said I don’t remember and honestly that’s probably a good thing, for the better, it was already bad enough. But looking back, you and your new wife leaving was the absolute best thing that ever happened to me. So..thank you for that. It gave me the opportunity to be surrounded by only people that loved me, that cared for me, it gave me the opportunity to have a Dad and a Mom that truly adored me. Thank you. But let’s rewind a little bit–back to the beginning. Remember the first time we met your soon to be new wife? She put on quite the show, let us play on the playground at her work, I remember thinking she had the coolest job ever! Toys all day?! Well, that quickly changed once you were married. It started slow, you told us we had to call her Mom. I remember feeling so pressured to call someone Mom that definitely didn’t fit the role as my Mother. I had a Mom, one that loved me, that gave birth to me, who had always been there for me–she was my Mom, I called her Mom and I still do. That’s where it started, an odd request to call someone Mom who wasn’t my Mom, and from there on it just continued to go downhill. But little did I know in the end it would have been one of the best things that happened to me, nor did I EVER think I would say those words. But I mean it, thank you for never standing up for me or my sister, thank you for the constant abuse and belittling because, fast forward back to when I was nine, that’s why you both moved. Remember the trouble I mentioned earlier? If you hadn’t moved, if you hadn’t abandoned us you both were about to lose a lot more than two precious little girls. But that’s what’s so amazing about this entire thing, you gave me freedom, you gave me a new life, you made me stronger and you gave me a Dad, one that had been there since you left the first time, who raised me, cared for me, loved me, and stood by my Mom’s side. I haven’t seen you since around that time, it’s been over a decade, almost two–you’ve randomly texted, messaged me every couple of years but it means nothing now, if anything it reminds me how happy I am with my life.
So why talk about this? I wanted to share my story, a main thing in my life that has made me stronger, something I struggled with, still do some days, but have chosen to look at it in a positive light and not waste my happy now, life is too short for that. All this because I have something amazing in the works. I have a goal, a dream and a passion for everyone to believe in themselves. To not let what they couldn’t/can’t control affect them. We are strong, we can do absolutely anything we set our minds to, no matter where we come from. No matter how hard life may have been, or may be today, don’t let it bring you down. Take the challenge with me. What aren’t you going to let bring you down?! Share it on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and use the hashtag #dontwastehappy because we’re stronger than anything that may come our way, and we can work through it. We’re not going to waste a moment that can truly make us happy.
Xoxo,
Jess
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