Letter to my 6 year old self

Dear Samantha,

I know this is hard. I know you feel like no one will understand, and they probably won’t.

It’s hard for other 6 year olds to understand why your dad is all over the news. And why your lips are covered in cold sores because you’re dealing with the kind of stress no person should ever have to deal with, let alone a child.

It would be impossible for other 6 year olds to understand what it’s like to take care of your mom who was beaten too close to death. Or what it’s like to deal with the real threat of being kidnapped by your father.

I know you spend all of your free time at school picking four leaf clovers hoping they will bring you good luck, or at least somehow magically take all of the pain away.

But, Samantha, you can do hard things. All of this will culminate in you having more strength than you ever thought was possible.

Your father will not kidnap you. I hate to tell you that you should still be cautious, but it’s a good idea — he is crazy, after all.

You will have friends. You will have people in your life that you can count on to help you deal with pain. I’m sorry you’re seeing so much pain at only 6 years old, but eventually others will catch up — that’s part of life. People will see things worse than you have seen.

Most importantly, you are not alone.