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I hope you never have to mourn the loss of a parent, especially while they are still alive. I hope that you never have to go through the trauma leading up to the decision to cut ties with them.

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If you move away from home, you’re going to miss out sometimes.

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You left. You made the choice to walk out the door and not turn back.

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These films, with the gorgeous lens filters and the perfect soundtracks, offered me a world better than my own. However, it was escapism at its finest.

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We still grieve them, even though we are the ones who cut them off.

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I appear to be fine, functional, yet I am the absolute opposite of that. 

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I think about how so many things have changed. Perhaps it isn’t yet ornery teenagers that we are fending off, but I can see the shift in the making.

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Until you lose someone close to you, you won’t understand the pain and the toll it takes on a family.

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Our paths are different paths, and my choice is to healthfully and lovingly avoid where they may cross. Whatever your war is or will be, there will be my peace. 

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Be patient with yourself. You are not perfect. You make mistakes so you can learn and grow.