To the girl who is quiet by nature, who would rather hide her face in a book than speak to a group of people, the girl who has feelings she can’t put into words:

I know you. I know you because I am you. I know that there are thoughts racing through your mind that you have no idea how to put into words. I know there are things you’re dying to say, but you don’t think you’ll be heard.

You want to explain why you are so emotional, so sensitive as all of the adults around you say. You’re an old soul, they claim. You begin to wonder if that is code for you aren’t as loud as other kids, so you must be more mature. You wonder if that’s actually true.

You start to resent those labels. Sensitive, emotional. They are often preceded by too, as if your personality is somehow both too little and too much at the same time. What do they want, you wonder. Do they want you to be louder, or do they like your soft-spoken nature? Do they want you to stop getting your feelings hurt so easily, or is being sensitive a good thing?

If there is one thing I want you to get from this, it is this: You will not feel like this forever.

Your dreams of sharing your story, of helping others who struggle with the same things you do, they will come true. One day you’ll be sharing your fears, your anxiety, and your grief with people who will seek out your work. Your voice matters, kiddo. I know it feels stifled now, but there will be time when you will feel so comfortable telling it that you’ll share it with whoever will listen–you will also learn what oversharing is, and how you have moved to that end of the spectrum.

All of the years spent questioning will be worth it, I promise. I know how often you sit down at your computer attempting to write your story, but you still can’t find the words. With time, and therapy, you will begin to understand yourself in ways you cannot even imagine. You will learn to advocate for yourself, and to tell the truth about how you feel.

That may sound like the bare minimum, and looking back, it definitely is, but that is a goal that you will achieve, and it will change your life.

You will learn that you do not have to put up with the things you have been for your whole life, and you will have the confidence to put your foot down and say enough.

Your. Voice. Matters. I don’t ever want you to forget that you have that voice for a reason, and you must use it to help yourself and speak up for others, to advocate for those who need it.

Don’t ever, ever be afraid to use your voice again. It is one of the most important things about you.
Love,

To the younger generation coming up

My name is Brian and I’m 37 years old and I’m writing to the younger generation coming up, especially my little boy who is 8 years old. I had a great childhood with two parents, siblings and family that loved me and supported me in what I wanted to do. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio (I live in North Carolina now) and loved it there. Tough winters to get thru of course. The spring and summer after the harsh winter was so worth it. We knew spring was coming when baseball season was starting.

Brian as a child

Speaking of baseball, I wish I would’ve played in school. I thought about doing it, but I never pushed myself to do it. I might be sitting right now in a huge house with two cars and waiting on spring training. I might’ve just been coming off a World Series win. That is one regret that I have about my life. But maybe it wasn’t meant to be that way, me playing baseball. I played a few sports in school, don’t get me wrong, I just wish I would’ve kept going.

I was a really shy kid and I didn’t often socialize very much with my friends outside of school. I was really focused on school stuff, which of course is not a bad thing at all because you need your education. It is really important, stay in school no matter what! It pays off the older you get. More jobs and more money. Do the best that you can because like I said, it pays off in the end. I had a great time in school. My friends were the best. We’ve all grown up and grown apart, but with the advent of social media we can connect and talk to one another. That is really important also.

Develop your friendships and make connections everywhere in your life. It will help you immensely because there are going to be hard times. I’ve been thru a lot of them. Life is tough and hard to understand at times. If you just try to process everything that is happening, be happy or grieve, you will be able to deal with anything that comes your way. If you have great friends who will listen to you and give you advice, it will help you so much more. My friends that I have now are exactly who I need. I love them and I would do anything for them. I can go to them and they can come to me for help and advice. You never know when you are going to need it. Everyone falls on hard times. Some more than others. Just be kind because you never know what another person is going thru

I don’t know if I would have made it thru those hard times if I didn’t have them. It is so important to make connections. Yes, I know I am shy and I’m sure there are other shy people reading this letter, but if you take the time to get comfortable with people you will open up and begin to make a connection with them. It is so important to be kind to people and if you are able to help them in any way, do it because you both will be rewarded.

We don’t have a lot of time on Earth some of us, but while we are here, we have to make the most of it and help our fellow humans and fill the world with love. We need more of that, we do.

Dear Sweet Girl,

I’m here to tell you that you are worthy. I’m sorry that many adults have failed you and they will continue to fail you. They neglected you and made you feel as if your emotions didn’t matter. You learned to hide your feelings easily which helps you endure yet, there will come a time when you will need to learn to process these feelings. Even when you don’t understand your feelings and feel deep sadness you never lose hope, which is a testament to your strength.

I’m here to tell you that your beauty is not dependent on your weight or by the amount of attention you receive at any given time. Your beauty is timeless and you deserve a gentle and pure love. Be kind to your body. It will be with you while you’re on this Earth through good times and bad. Treat it with love. I will tell you that through your disciplined nature, you become strong. In the future, you hike thousands of miles, you lift weights, you serve in the military, and you reach your goals. Relationships will let you down but you will learn to love yourself first and you will meet your Prince charming one day. Even when you are overly critical and hard on yourself you never lose hope, which is a testament to your strength.

I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to make mistakes. You are a trailblazer. You march by the beat of your own drum. Your life won’t look like everyone else’s, so don’t compare yourself. You have incredible and rare resiliency. When you fall, you will feel that life may be in reverse however, these are your greatest moments that prepare you for rebirth. You continue to reinvent yourself and each time you get back on your feet, you tower over all. Even in your darkest moments you never lose hope, which is a testament to your strength.

I’m here to tell you that you should trust yourself. Your curiosity will lead you to travel around the world. Never compromise this aspect of yourself. Your worldview is as unique and special as you are. You are brave and your courage will help you to experience things that others only dream of. Although you will experience many of these things alone, you never cease to make friends along the way. Trust your instincts and your gifts. There will come a time where you will begin to embrace these aspects of yourself and you will begin to bloom like a beautiful flower in springtime. Even when you don’t love or trust yourself you never lose hope, which is a testament to your strength.

I’m here to tell you that you will change the world, one person at a time. Your suffering will not be in vain as you will become a beacon of light for many. You will grow to become the fullest and complete version of yourself. I will tell you that her demeanor will be that of a dove and she will simultaneously be a force of nature. Your analytical nature is not a curse. You will always seek new ways of perception, new ways of existing, and your ideas are uncommon. Unlock your intelligence and your creativity. Do not feel ashamed for your abilities but also, do not tie your worth to your accomplishments. Even when the road seems long and unbearable you never lose hope, which is a testament to your strength.

You were built for this life. Keep going, the best is yet to come.

Dear Little Olivia,

I’m sorry I didn’t put you first. I’m sorry I didn’t choose you every single time because you are so worthy of a safe, healthy, valuable love. I guess every great story starts off with that one simple line… I met this guy/girl. The problem with that was, I found him and lost me. I suppose I’ve always been attracted to broken birds and perhaps I thought enough honey could cure the sting of that buzzing bee but boy was I wrong! Turns out we can’t fix anyone. In fact, the only one who can transform the heart of a man or a woman is God.

My name is Olivia Summer Hutcherson and I am a 32 year old hopeless romantic. I am a 3X cancer survivor and metastatic thriver plus a dancer, singer, poet, published author and lover of life. I adore human connection and all that that means. I enjoy sharing my art and heart out there on the New York scene. I have made a million and one mistakes and am still learning every day but the few things that I have gathered along the way are yours to take.

Putting God first in all that you do is key to a peaceful and successful life. Having a relationship with the Lord does not mean that problems will not arise but He will give you the grace and strength to get through it all. I have learned this from personal experience time and time again and can honestly say that Jesus is my best friend.

On that note, He has taught me to be a lot kinder to myself. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that we are all masterpieces created in His image. That means that every single person on this planet has a unique design and divine purpose over their life. There are no two fingerprints, minds, souls, or hearts exactly alike. I wish I would have embraced this more in my youth because I was very consumed with the comparison game and there is absolutely no need for that because it is clear that God created each individual with a special calling on their life that is connected to their gifts.

We must learn to build one another up. This includes ourselves, our friends, our family members, our co-workers and even strangers. Life is challenging enough so each day I make a conscious decision to speak kindly to myself and speak life into my situations. Every cell in our body is listening to the messaging coming out of our mouth. Get into the habit of thanking your body for getting you through the days, focus on the good and try not to compare.

Stay active no matter what. I used to dance 6 hours a day and now I go for nature walks but the point is that I keep moving forward.

Feelings are like visitors. Let them come, sit, have tea and visit but do not allow them to stay. Another way I have heard it put is that every rainstorm runs out of rain eventually. Cry when you need to cry, laugh when you need to laugh, be quiet when there is nothing to say, etc… If it comes let it, if it goes let it. Just don’t stay there.

Surrender that which you can’t control. Get on your knees, lift up your hands and sing when you feel like crying. There is no substitute for good old fashioned worship. Even if your voice shakes or you can only muster whispering the words. Declaring the promises of God over your life is a weapon. Releasing the pain is part of the healing process. Sometimes we just have to let it

Make time to have a little fun. Each day carve out a moment to smile. It can be the smallest thing like having ice cream or going for a bike ride with your best friend but whatever it is… be in the moment. Time is passing us by faster than the speed of light and if we don’t make time to enjoy the journey then one day we’ll look back and wonder what it was all for? Take little pauses for you along the way.

Last but not least forgive anyone who may have hurt you and take it a step further, pray for them. Hurt people, hurt people. Forgiveness is not for them, it’s for you. Get in and pull the roots out so they don’t have a hold on you anymore. You deserve freedom, you deserve peace, you deserve the love you so freely give and in case no one has told you lately….God loves you and so do I. You have always been 1st place to Him.

Love,

To All the childhood Versions of Me …

To those who felt unloved and seldom seen, know that I see and I Love you too.
Know my love comes without condition, or need to prove yourSelf, to anyone (especially me). For I know and Love All of you, unmistakably, and unconditionally.

I know you are wise “beyond your years”; but I also know its trauma that’s brought us here. I know your family were all wounded too, and passed these traumas onto you.
I want you to know, beloved ones, that all of Me holds you, in place of your tormented family. For they couldn’t love you, more than their trauma or pain. They refused to learn, and passed these things onto you, with much distain.

I tell you now and I tell you true, that pain was never meant for you. You needn’t work so hard to be, a beloved savior, or perfect Me; and you needn’t prove yourSelf worthy to receive your basic needs.

Yes, in a sense its true, you came to heal what they would not, but a martyr or a savior you need not be. You did not come to struggle, or to save them and spite yourSelf. Its time to take your divinity off the shelf.

When you want to cry, or need support, when you fear their feelings, or are turned away, by their manipulative or judging arms, know that you have mine. You have my arms, to reach across space and time, and love on you, hug you, judgment free, and always unconditionally.

I pledge to listen, love, thank, and honor you, for all you are; and encourage you, with all that I am. For I could not be me without you; but we are so much more than you think we are (or can be).

I want you to know, that when it all feels pointless or too much, when you feel alone or unsupported, helpless or unsure, know that I am here, and we are more. We are always, (and always have been), more than enough; and never, never once “too much”.
Those who called us ‘too much’, were only those who do not yet know how to love the muchness in themselves.

Those who would judge, or only love, appreciate, or use us for our gifts, are only those who fear, or are unready to embrace their own.

Those who make us feel inadequate, are those who pass on wounds of inadequacy, rather than heal within themselves.

Know this.

Know that we who dwelled in sickness, will learn to heal. We will learn for others, to heal and bless others; but then I promise, we will use this power for us too, for all the versions of us that are, were, and will be.

Know that the trauma, judgement, and pain, doesn’t have to stop us anymore. We get to heal; and needn’t punish or limit ourselves the way our family did.

You who thought, and were told that we had to be ‘responsible’, be all love, and all light, at all times, will get to stop running from the darkness, redefine, and embrace it. We will not hurt or be hurt by it, we will instead find light, strength, wholeness, and truth there.

And you, who all too often kept yourself in darkness to be a beacon of light for others, will stop martyring yourSelf, and learn to be the Light for *you… and then for the world, from your overflow. You’ll stop feeling like you have to choose a side, and find that the balance between light and dark, is where life truly lives. You are not the yin or the yang, you are both … as sacred and divine in your dark as in your light, in your masculine, as in your feminine, in your human and in your Divine.

Love who (and what) you love. You need not seek approval, or fear others’ judgements. Know that everyone you love, you love with purpose, and it’s a blessing each time you do.
Know that love doesn’t have to be hidden, and it doesn’t have to mean pain. You can love differently. You can love others, and still have boundaries, or not have them in your life at all. You can love you, and know I love you too.

You are not selfish.
You are not weak.
You are not responsible for others, their behaviors, or actions.
You are worthy of your needs; and they, nor you, are ever “too much”.
You are worthy of everything you want and need; and its my honor to help you have that.
You are amazing, I Love You, Enjoy your Life.
With LoveLight and Light Codes…
Danielle, #DAMCL ™ , @DsEnlightenedEdits ™ ®
© http://www.DAMCLDesigns.com ™ ®

To The Little Girl That Needs to Know She’s Had Strength in Her All Along,

…When did you lose that beautiful, lively smile?

That sparkle in your eyes every time you were revealed a surprise, or got to do something you
once enjoyed?
When did you stop enjoying that birthday cake due to bad body image?

When did you lose your confidence and love for yourself?
As the years progressed, you can see it in your memorable photographs that your confidence was
diminishing as fast as a wave crashing into the seashore.

Eye contact began difficult for you, and so did showing off a “real” smile. I need you to try and
find that joy & love again, and that love for your body, as soon as you can.
There will be many times where moments and struggles will seem nearly impossible to get
through, and challenges will seem like they will never fade away. You will fear that your
purpose in life is strictly to only struggle and never make a difference in this world.

The honest truth is that…

these times will never forever go away and will always come, however, overtime, you just gain
the ability of resilience…and that resilience gets stronger and stronger like a tornado
demolishing through a neighborhood full of fragile houses.

You just need to feel it in your heart that you have the strength in you to get through it all, and
persevere through the challenges that may be faced next. You have to hold on, for there are far
greater moments that lie ahead of you, little one.

There will come a time where you will hit what you believe is the lowest of all lows; rock
bottom. This place is the darkest place you can ever fall or slip yourself into. This may happen
more than once in your many years of life. You will experiment and engage in different forms of
self-abusive, persistent behaviors that may seem like they are eternal, as they have become form
of a habit and a routine that adheres itself to you like the many little fragments of shells on the
beach adhere to your skin, making it almost impossible to remove.

You’re NOT broken, you’re truly just BECOMING the best version of yourself that you are
MEANT to be.
If you could only see…
…that once you are older…
any of the struggles that you are going through right at this very moment will seem so miniscule,
that it will only become a distant memory.
My advice to you would be: just try your absolute hardest to allow yourself to feel, and do not
numb feelings out for too long. There are more consequences that come along with numbing

feelings and shutting down, not allowing others to know you are suffering. Reach out, even when
you feel you will not be understood, or fear that those you love will leave you. You ARE loved.
Remember to surround yourself with positivity and positive people, and positivity will follow
throughout your lifetime.

DO not be afraid to seek treatment or help when needed, even if you are in doubt that it can
work. Your most successful accomplishments will come from never giving yourself up to the
demons.

Keep your head held high, your heart where it is always meant to be, and do not forget to keep
impacting lives for the better, because that is what you do best with your shining personality.
Never forget that the world needs more bright souls and beautiful hearts like yours.
Though you’ve struggled with your identity and wondering… “who am I?”, and may continue to
have your struggles, which have led you to be very hard on yourself, please do not let those
struggles define you and break you down. Try very hard to learn to love yourself, and let go of
all those dark demons that try and consume you. Have confidence that you once held and shown
in your smile.

Overcome through the pain and past traumas you’ve been through, and find your TRUE identity.
No one can ever be you, and there is no one ever like you. So…

Realize that you were individually created the way you are, and if you feel like you have flaws
that you wish would go away…don’t. They are a part of what makes you unique, and you are
flawlessly becoming who you are meant to be. Just give yourself time. Light will ALWAYS
shine through, as there is always light within the darkness. You’ll see that light soon enough, just
as I have finally found it through years of struggling. Strive to be like an older, wiser version of
you, and know that…

You’ve ALWAYS got this…my beautiful friend.
With love,

To my younger self and the next generation,

Write or type out your pain. Use your pain to fuel your purpose and you’ll be surprised at what you gain. To my inner child, my inner voice, to the little girl with the glasses and braces who is awkward but means well, the one with a naturally inquisitive mind, this is for you. Here are some tips that can help you on your path of life:

• Healing is a journey and not a destination. Wise people will tell you, “I am healing everyday”. Every day is a step towards betterment of yourself.

• If you feel like you didn’t get “enough” done today, give gratitude for the day and what you did get done. That’s self-compassion – which is difficult for those of us who can be very hard on ourselves for the things that we should’ve done or would’ve done with the knowledge that we have now. Don’t spend so much time beating up yourself. Reflect and move forward.

• Ground yourself. As you gain knowledge, your instinct will be to get even more knowledge than you currently have. But by doing so without grounding yourself, you may get anxiety or make your current anxiety worse than it already is. Find out how to stay grounded and get a therapist or some other kind of professional help if needed.

• Always go with your intuition, even when it doesn’t make sense to the outside world. One of the most important things that you can develop is to learn the difference between your ego and your intuition. Your intuition could be something very simple (Go home after the grocery store…so that you won’t get into that car accident that will happen later) or something more complex (This job is too much for you).

• Learning how to set boundaries is a life changer and will save you from a lot of headaches in life. Read articles and books about boundaries. They are so important, especially when it comes to preventing burnout. You’ll see soon enough.

• Forgiveness is hard but holding onto resentment is even harder. I know it’s hard to forgive people who refuse to acknowledge what they did and offer an apology. Deep down inside, we all want to be acknowledged. The most important and yet most difficult step that we can take towards forgiveness is learning how to forgive ourselves. Forgive ourselves for not knowing better or doing better in the moment. Remember, healing is not a linear journey. Be kind to yourself.

• Nurture yourself and your inner child by doing all the things that you used to enjoy or wanted to try doing. Start doing things for yourself pertaining to your love language (i.e., giving yourself gifts, or repeating words of affirmation towards yourself). Go ice skating, get an adult coloring book, and/or just take time to be still. Enjoy each moment.

• You will get to know people by their ‘fruits’/their actions. Watch how people treat others or talk about others in their life. They will almost always do the same to you. Surround yourself with the right people. They rub off on you whether you realize it or not.

• It’s better to just drop a seed of advice than to force people into doing what you think is best. They may start to resent you if you do so or feel embarrassed when you’re right and may be afraid to tell you things in the future. Let God, The Universe, or whatever you believe in teach them the lesson that they are due for. Some people are determined to learn the hard way or having to go through some stuff to learn, instead of learning by observing others.

• Don’t focus so much on others that you forget about yourself and don’t expect you from other people. Prioritize yourself and indulge in self-care. Don’t worry about grind culture or whatever else is popular. You are a constant giver and have done more than enough for people.

• If your life got better after someone came into your life, keep them around, at least for now. If your life felt better after letting go of someone, let it stay that way, even if it hurts. It doesn’t mean that don’t care about them anymore, but it’s time to let them go. You come first.

• Finally, pass your knowledge down to the next generation, like what I’m doing now. They can benefit from your greatness and your strength that you didn’t even know that you had. Enjoy your life and dance in the sun or rain. Look at the moon and the stars, sunset and sunrise and all of God’s creation. It’s amazing. Despite all the chaos in the world, there is still beauty in it. Take out time to enjoy it.