I see you now, that innocent version of me, full of dreams, full of hope. I see the way you looked at the world with wonder, believing in endless possibilities. And I am sorry.
I am sorry for the times I let you down, for the choices I made that went against the promises I once whispered to myself. I said I would never settle, but I did. I said I would never let people take advantage of me, but I allowed it. I said I would always put my happiness first, but somewhere along the way, I forgot how to.
I am sorry for the times I spoke to myself with cruelty, when I should have been kind. I should have told you that it was okay to fail, that mistakes don’t define you, that you were always worthy of love even when you didn’t feel like it.
I should have protected you better. I should have been braver. I should have believed in you the way you once believed in me.
But I want you to know, I am trying. I am learning to forgive myself, to pick up the broken pieces and carry them forward with care. I am trying to be the person you once dreamed I would become.
And I hope, wherever you are in time, you can forgive me too.