Dear 18-year-old Myra,

I have tried so hard to find an opening that would make sense to you at this point but I can’t. I am writing to you from a place of compassion and understanding, having been in your shoes and knowing the depths of agonising pain and turmoil you are enduring. I want you to know that you are not alone, and despite all these dark and meaningless days that haunt and surround you, there will be a time for healing and even happiness.

I remember most things and my brain has blacked out the parts that send me spiralling into those memories, but I remember the overwhelming love you felt. The kind that consumed your heart and soul. You gave it everything you could, everything there was to give but life, my love, has a way of throwing chaos into our paths and the path you walked on took an unforeseen turn. An unimaginable tragedy. I remember the pain as your world shattered and courage failed you, the way your legs gave away and thorns filled your inside everytime you tried to breathe. The pain was unbearable, inhumane and it felt like you were lost in the seas of despair, facing the anguish alone.

Sometimes life presents us with tragedies that are beyond our control or comprehension.

The world looked the other way, and life went on, leaving you navigating new and dark waters without a guiding light or a beacon of hope. I want you to know that it does not define your worth or your ability to be loved.

Tears are carrying you through your darkest nights, solitude and writing through the bleak days. But baby, you are stronger than you realise and in the face of all the adversity, you will find resilience, you will find yourself and you will rise…again.

Growth and healing, they won’t be easy and it is an uphill battle from here. I wish I could protect you from everything that comes after but I cannot, these are the paths you have to take. There will be moments of doubt, hopelessness, despair, anguish and loneliness, and you will want to give up. Through it all, Myra, you will persevere. You will (as I did) find the courage to rise above it all, to pick up the shattered pieces of life, and slowly, painstakingly, you will start to rebuild.

I want you to know that this pain is not forever, it does not define you. It is a part of such a bittersweet story but it is not the entirety of who you are. You survived this, you and your unconquerable spirit.

Love has a way of blinding you and even now, I will not fault you for it. Remember, your capacity to love is a beautiful quality and it is not a flaw to care deeply for others, even if it is not returned or it is rejected.

For you, I take all this happiness I have amassed and I hold onto it tightly, knowing that I have fought through darkness and conquered my deepest fears to reach this point. I am the person you become.

Be kind and compassionate with yourself. You are hurting, you are confused, you are in the depths of anguish and life has lost purpose, for now. You are facing the fight of and for your life, and your courage is commendable. I promise, you won’t always have to be this strong.

Allow yourself mistakes, to learn from them and to keep evolving into the incredible person we will become. Believe in yourself and know that you are worthy of all the love and happiness that this life has to offer.

I have a lot I want to tell you and more than anything, I wish I could hold you in my arms for a little while, just until life isn’t so heavy anymore.

There is hope. The tunnel ends. You rise and you will be happy, again.

With all my love and my heart

Present Myra🤎

I think I will ask God why for the rest of my life and never will I come to understand it. Even if God himself came in front of me and told me the reason, I don’t think I would accept it. Some loves are too hard to bear, and with great love comes great pain. With great loss, comes the greatest pain of all. If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.

Unknown