Dear Survivor:

I see you in the woods. I see your prickliness from the internalized hurt of experiencing abuse in the barbed branches of the sweet gum tree. You are still beautiful, a ray of hope, and worthy of gentle, unconditional love in your humanness. 

I see you in the naked, exposed trees of winter. You are raw and jagged from your experiences, yet you reach for neighboring trees to touch and sustain you. Spring will come soon and wrap you in warmth and the gentle breeze will carry away what is not yours to hold. You are not the sum of your abuse.

I see you in the dropped leaves of fall, trampled, yet uniquely beautiful and incredibly courageous in your defeat and rebirth. You are still worthy of tenderness and care, in all the frailness and tenacity of your healing journey.

I see you in the pines, tall and strong from reaching toward the sun and refusing to hide in the shadows. You are brave, and I see you.

I see you in the dew droplet clinging to a branch. The world feels scary and unsafe yet you mirror the courage and safety of others that have come before you. You are among the trees reflected in that droplet, an integral part of this Universe. You are light, and I see you.

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