Dear Young Me, I know right now you are probably pushing down tears, rage, fear or all of the above. I know this because this was your norm from such a young age that you won’t even recognize that this is abnormal until you are in your late 20s. It will take a long time for you to realize that you are not at fault, so it will be even longer until you know you need to be forgiving yourself. You are anything but a cliché or trite in nature so I won’t insult you with a garden variety message from the future that “life gets better”. Instead I am here to say that though it’s been ages since we’ve heard from each other – and that’s by my own design to banish you from my current life- I am reaching out to say that I forgive you. Forgiveness to you must seem both expected and foreign. On one hand, of course you need to be forgiven because- despite most people thinking you are a model honor student- you are constantly told you are doing something wrong. On the other, forgiveness is not something you’ve ever seen before in your home life. In the chaotic world ruled by fear, hatred, jealousy, manipulation and narcissism to which you were born, forgiveness is a worthless currency. In fact, why would you be so weak as to show someone compassion when you can use any transgressions or weaknesses against them later?  . . You feel guilty for learning to live a double life riddled with lies: trying desperately to appear OK to the world and still living within the boundaries set for you to avoid retribution.  I forgive you for that too. You aren’t a bad person and you have only lied out of survival. One day you will tell your secret and though people react in disbelief, and blame you ,call you an attention seeker ,trouble maker and all the words to break you down ,don't stress for those that judge or think they can advise or make the pain disappear are all frauds who just run their mouth ,hope you know that only a person whose been through it can speak it .don't beat your self up for in the future you will turn up great and you will find your true identity ,you will be loved ,cared for and special ,for you the best thing that ever existed don't be proud but be confident for no woman born of flesh can be as beautiful as you're ,you're priceless beauty inside out ,smile and enjoy for what awaits you is unimaginable .