We glorify healing, but we don’t talk about what it means to be powerful in the middle of it. This piece is for the ones still unraveling, still figuring it out, still showing up anyway. You don’t need to be healed to be heard. You don’t have to be whole to matter. There is strength in your survival right now—even in the parts that still hurt.

Forgiveness is not proof of healing—it’s a choice, and not one survivors owe to anyone. Trauma doesn’t disappear just because society is more comfortable when victims are quiet, forgiving, and palatable. Sometimes survivors are angry. Sometimes they don’t forgive. And that’s okay. Healing looks different for everyone. This piece is for the ones who are still carrying it, and still choosing themselves.