Dear Jill from the Past,

I am proud of the accomplishments you made in your 20s. You helped a lot of people with your writing and never asked a thing. But, if you could change anything from your 20s and early 30s, I wish you would have seen sooner how used and abused you were by friends, associates, and some family members. These people did nothing but take advantage of your helping nature and, in their own ways, hurt you. While they created experiences you used to heal yourself through writing, I know deep scars remain. Forgive yourself. You were only responsible for you and all you did was to try and help or protect these other people.

Your light still shines brightly. One day, you’ll see it in your daughter’s smile.

Love,

Me