Hey, you…

Yes, you.

We are not good friends, outside of the social platforms we share, we don’t talk. We’ve spoken in person once, maybe twice, but we’ve known each other for some time. I’ve watched your boy grow, as you have watched mine…

We are going through something similar, at least I feel like we are, because when I was at a low point, you reached out to me, albeit in a small, simple line of text, but you reached out, and offered support, so I assume, based on what you share and what I see most days, that you’re going through a struggle that might not be dissimilar to mine, and so I understand…

This morning I read what you posted, and felt this infinite sadness, both as a reflection of my struggles and for some of yours, as you let raw emotion out onto a canvas.

But I want you to know, as someone that sees you only from a distance and feels your struggles and anguish through a screen, that you are not alone…

That you are not those lowly things you feel when you’re stuck at the bottom looking up, when the feeling that the climb up is too hard, or not worth the effort.

You don’t need to fit in, because if anything, and I imagine it to be true, it is that others look to you, to fit in with you.

You are a beautiful person, both inside and out. You’ve put others, and their needs before your own, and your humility does not go unnoticed. Your selflessness at times of need has not been invisible.

So while at times it may feel like it’s not worth it, and I say this because I know that feeling all too well, take comfort in knowing that there are others, that mostly remain silent, that are rooting for you, that believe in you and your ethics, and would volunteer themselves to your cause as you have to others.

And know that I’ll continue to applaud your efforts, and your courage, and all the other goodness I, and many others, see in you…

Know that the struggles now are a source of strength. Even if they seem like they’re draining you. In time you will see that they were just preparing you for what is next.

So you.

You keep being just the person you are.

You keep going.

Because there are others that find your courage to be a source of their own…