Vstarr_Imagine

I hope everyone has been able to find a few moments of warmth, rest, or comfort during the holidays—whatever that looks like for you. And if this season has been heavy instead of joyful, please know you’re not alone in that either.
          	
          	To anyone struggling right now: it’s okay if you’re just surviving. It’s okay if the holidays hurt. You are not weak for feeling it, and you are not behind for needing time. Even being here, reading this, is proof that you’re still trying—and that matters more than you know.
          	Thank you for being here with me. I’m really glad you are.

Vstarr_Imagine

I hope everyone has been able to find a few moments of warmth, rest, or comfort during the holidays—whatever that looks like for you. And if this season has been heavy instead of joyful, please know you’re not alone in that either.
          
          To anyone struggling right now: it’s okay if you’re just surviving. It’s okay if the holidays hurt. You are not weak for feeling it, and you are not behind for needing time. Even being here, reading this, is proof that you’re still trying—and that matters more than you know.
          Thank you for being here with me. I’m really glad you are.

Vstarr_Imagine

If this story does anything, I hope it reminds you that remembering doesn't have to break you - and that healing was never meant to require forgetting. 
          
          We all carry scars. Some are visible. Some are buried deep. But every scar is evidence of survival. Proof that you lived through what tried to take you, and you are still here. 
          
          This story is for anyone learning how to hold their own past without letting it hold them under.
          
          This story is for you if you're still standing, even when you don't feel strong. Staying alive, carrying your past, and choosing to keep going anyway -- that is not weakness. That is survival. That is courage.