Next week is Valentine’s Day and today I’m sharing a #SurvivorLoveLetter for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. You are NOT alone.

Dear Survivor,

You are so incredibly brave. It takes great courage to get out of bed each morning and try to make the most of each day. Some days are hard, you may not even want to get out of bed and if you aren’t able to, that’s OK. You are still so brave and so amazing. Some days you may want to talk about what happened to you and other days you do not. Both are absolutely OK. I hope you have people in your life who will listen to you, believe you, and validate what happened to you. Being listened to and believed makes all the difference in the world. I hope you have a safe place to retreat to whether a real place or in your mind. I hope you are taking good care of yourself. You deserve all the best. I don’t know you but I love you. I know how hard it is to keep believing in yourself, to keep going forward when everything hurts. I know how it feels to blame yourself and feel like damaged goods. It’s perfectly normal to feel that way, but the truth is we are NOT to blame, nor are we damaged. Remember to be kind to yourself. You are worth it.

All my Love,

KatieButterfly