“To the Woman That I Was” (by Zeinab Hamid)

To the woman that I was, I had to let you go. I had to release you.

I made so many mistakes because you lacked boundaries. You were always putting yourself last. No more.

You are first now. And you will never again be lost in the what-if, you will be lost in the what’s next.

Let me tell you what’s next. You are going to fly. You are going to love madly, deeply, passionately.

You will soar through paths of unforeseen gardens. You will eat from the seeds you harvested. You will live in the work that allows your kindness to flow effortlessly.

You will act without fear, and you will breathe with a breath of relief.

You will be the love of someone’s life. You will be a wife to a man who wants to be a husband. You will glow, baby. You will lead.

You will hold the pen that writes your story, and you will allow that pen to flow with your heart, leading with passion, resilience, and truth.

You will not just be the woman who would have saved you. You will teach other women, every woman who listens, to become the woman who would have saved them.

You are the dream. You are the reason. You live with a knowing, and you will show the world that kindness will win, that joy will prevail, and that hearts who choose to remain soft will always find their place.

You had to grow. You had to let go. You had to awaken.

You made it through everything that seemed impossible. And you will forever keep growing.

I love you. I love me. I love who I will be.

I love all the days that have yet to come, and I love all the days that made me me.

I don’t have to wait anymore. I was always the answer.

The sky is the limit. Dream, baby. Live honestly. Grow truly. Believe passionately. Strive resiliently. Build intentionally. And most importantly, love softly.

Love as many people as you can. Love them, and show them what love means. Embrace that you are love.

And even when you are wronged, the love you have for God will never allow you to wrong another soul.

Be grateful that God gave you that kind of love, because you are giving love to the souls He wants you to reach. You are proving who He is through your actions.

So take a deep breath. Release in Belief. Exhale and remove. Live in relief.

And declare something today:

I declare that through the will I have carved, the knowledge I feed my soul, and the endurance I’ve built in my body I will be the lighthouse. I will be the home. I will be the safe haven. And I will be the awakened glow to every human I meet.

I choose kindness over anger. I choose me over the want for revenge. I choose peace over chaos.

I choose me. I choose me. And I will always choose me.

I love me enough to choose me.

I stand still, and I rise always. Not just to live, but to thrive. To build. To awaken. To unleash.

I unleash you to the depths of who you are.

You are not dumb for caring.

Now, I have the rest of my days to give my love to those who love me — to the ones who deserve the unleashed version of me.

Zeinab, you are beautiful from the inside out. You radiate an essence that gifts the human race. You are what is good in the world. You are what love really is.

You are a walking love story, a love story of a woman who learned to love herself.

You are the love story. You are the love story. You are the love story.

Love,

A Soul that won't be defeated.