“I almost woke Mom up last night, wanting to cry about how I was scared of what I might inflict on my own body, on my own temple. Shame silenced me. Who was I, with a stomach full of tofu and broccoli, blessed with friends, opportunities and an optimistic future, to cry? To want to be comforted, needed? I feel stupid. And in all honesty, it’s a motivator. I want to starve myself long enough, cut myself deep enough, and hate myself enough to deserve to let go.”

Everyone deserves to be loved, respected, comforted, and safe. No matter who they are, what their situation is, what they look like, or what they believe.

Don’t let shame silence you, do not let anything get in the way of you and your personal recovery, whatever that is, and from whatever circumstance. 

I feel like Dumbledore, how much I stress and believe in love, but it’s honestly true and J.K. Rowling is right.

“Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign … to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. (…) It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.”

— Dumbledore

I hope everyone, no matter where you came from or where you are on your journey, I hope you feel loved and welcome somewhere.