Dear Self,

You are magnificent. You are God’s creation, a person He carved from nothing, knowing that you would be flawed but loving you, nonetheless. He still put time into etching every freckle into your skin. He perfected the curve of your smile, the kindness in your eyes. He picked the pitch of your laugh with the same precision of a bride finding a dress.

I know that these words will not stick right now, but it is going to hit you one day. One day, when the slight nagging sensation that something is wrong becomes a wave, drowning out the screams that you are worthless, you will realize that you were made with more love than you can fathom.

You look around and tell yourself that you cannot hold a candle to the talents of your friends, but I have to say that it is hard to hold the candle when you are the flame. You have this light inside of you, this warmth that is constantly giving to others. Save a little heat for yourself.

Right now, when you look in the mirror, all you see are shards. You highlight the jagged edges and look for reasons to justify why you starve yourself of basic needs. Close your eyes, reset. Take a step back and look at your reflection again. Once you stop focusing on the individual shards, you see the mosaic.

Say thank you to the body that you have spent so many years hating. Thank you to the legs that carry you across the earth, the arms that fling themselves around the people you love. This body is your home, treat it with all the love in the world.

I titled this “A Letter to My Broken Self”, but that’s wrong. You’re not broken. You just haven’t realized how strong you are.

Lots of Love,

Me