a little piece of sunshine

Dear Friend,
Whoever you are and wherever you are when you are reading this doesn't matter. You are important. You are beautiful. You are worth something. You have something to offer the world. Maybe because I see too many people who are never told how amazing they are and maybe because too many times I, myself need to hear it. But either way, I have friends of many different walks of life, some bug me to death and some I can't live without but every one of them has a beauty that astounds me. I promise that at some point I will let you down. And I promise that at some point you are going to wonder what in the world I am thinking. But no matter how many times I fall, no matter how many times I feel broken and defeated, I promise you that I will stand back up. Maybe it is cliche to thank God for the things in my life and maybe you don't believe in Jesus or that He is who He says He is, but no matter what your beliefs, I believe that it is always better to live with hope and love and joy and compassion and forgiveness than it will ever be to live without it.

I do not believe that life is as bad as it seems. And even when everything seems dark, there is light at the end of the tunnel. And it keeps getting brighter. I love you. Whoever you are. I do. Because I believe I am who I am because of the people who have been around me, whether presently or in the past. And my life is beautiful because of the people who pass through it.

Next time you feel like you have no way out, please remember that I've been there too. Maybe not exactly where you are, but I've been somewhere similar. And I'm still standing up and I'm still smiling. Because there is so much beauty in life.

Love,
Me