Lauren Jarvis-Gibson

I wish I had met you five years from now.
Because maybe then
I’d be writing love poetry
instead of words that are embedded
with your goodbye.
And maybe then
the world would actually give us a shot.

If you love me, and if you want me just as much as I want you, I’m not going to let you down. I’ll show you that you can lean on me when you feel too weak to do it on your own. I’ll be there for you when you whisper to me about your dark past, and I won’t turn away from your flaws.

Never forget that your scars are a sign of strength, of survival and of power. The scars that stain our hearts, that are permanently marked on our bodies, are there for a purpose. They are there to remind us that our hearts are still beating despite all of the markings and scratches.

“I can’t take this distance. It’s too hard. I love you too much to not see you every second of everyday.” ― Chris, 20

I want to believe that everyone is good. I want to believe that no one is out to hurt me. I want to believe that no one would want to ever harm me. But there are people out there who won’t take no for an answer. There are people out there who want to hurt you just like you hurt them.

I hope you know I’ll never regret you. I’ll never look back on my life and close my eyes to our memories. I will never wish you didn’t exist. You were my first love, and quite possibly the love of my life. You were everything to me once. And so, you will be something to me always.

When you say goodbye, you will feel a weight lift of your back. You will feel lighter. Your heart will be happier. Because for once, you actually listened to it. And you listened to yourself without second guessing your gut. You finally, loved yourself enough to do what was right for you.

Know that loving yourself is a process. It takes years to truly be confident in yourself. But in order to get here, you need to stop letting people walk over you. You need to let go of people who only spit insults at you. You have to give yourself what you truly deserve.