You are all a valuable part of who I was and each of you has allowed me to become who I am today. But, this is our final chance. We have changes to make if Yvonne is to survive.

To my Childhood Self, aka Vonnie.
I am so sorry sweetheart that you were hurt. Thank you for protecting me and volunteering to keep me safe. Thank you for holding all of those terrible memories for so many years. Thank you for crying 10,000 times 10,000 tears. You are free now, honey. Free from our pain, free from the terror, free from the lies and betrayal. Come out of your self-imposed prison, Vonnie. There are no more dark rooms, the boogeyman is dead. You have shed your last tear. It is summer, the sun is shining. Take my hand and we will step out into it, together.


To my Teen Self, aka Baby Huey,
I am so sorry honey that they teased you without mercy. Thank you for your determination and drive. Thank you for all the books that you read that made us so smart. Thank you for the 10,000 times 10,000 tears that you cried. It is safe to look in the mirror. See how beautiful you are? You have shed your last tear. It is summer, and the sun is shining. Take my hand and we will step out into it, together.

To my Adult Child,
Thank you for your comfort each and every time we were beaten-up, rejected, stood-up, ignored, passed over, cheated on, and left out. They did not deserve you. Thank you for standing back up over and over in the face of so much adversity. Thank you for crying 10,000 times 10,000 tears and swallowing all the humiliation and sorrow we suffered. You have shed your last tear. It is summer, the sun is shining. Take my hand and we will step out into it, together.

Are we all here? Do you see the light?
Okay girls, ready?

One.
Two.
Three.

STEP.



Authors note:
This was a speech I had written and read for my graduation from my last Treatment Center May 2005. There was not a dry eye in the house. Including the counselors.

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