To my Youngest Aunt.

My dear youngest aunt,
I have so many things I want to say to you. About how I feel about your drug use. I have no room to Judge you. I don't know what the horror was that you went though, and the fight you went through till you found this was the only way you could deal with living. And you are right, you have had your share of hard times, and no one should have to go through so much. I want you to know that I love you, and you are my aunt no matter what.
With that said, I want you to know I see you at a turning point. You have walked through your hell everyday of your life. I also understand you still see it, when you close your eyes the monster is still there. Once, the monster cared and loved you, then suddenly he is full of hate for you and he hurt you and you were taught that this was love. But after all that, you actually found love. Your mom didn't give you away, she tried to save you. She knew the hell you girls were in and instead of making you suffer, she tried to help you out of it. After she was free she came to rescue you, the only way she could. She encouraged you to marry someone.
I know it goes against everything you believe in to live the way you do, but maybe its time to put down the drugs, and realize one thing. He (your special someone) isn't going anywhere, and he isn't going to hurt you. But he needs your help, he needs you to calm yourself down and let him take care of you. As long as you help him by keeping the house clean, cause he doesn't have time, and maybe getting a hobby, or job that you can handle, even if it is a video blog talking about your past, whatever, just something you can throw yourself into.
You are free of hell, and now its time to let it go. I know you hurt, and I'm not saying you can't keep what helps, but maybe its time to see what you can do with this chance you are given.
The easy road is to end it all, but even that isn't the best way. If, However, you still aren't really ready to leave this earth, and you want to find yourself, then in that you will have my full support.
I hope you choose life. I hope you find your wings and fly. But most of all, I hope you find your happy, because we are family, and not matter how mad family gets at one another, or how sad you feel, family is there. You can fight, you can scream, but no one is going to know what you have gone through, better than the one's you are close to.
It's the words I can't find to tell my own brother's, and the things I want to say to my cousins, and the feelings I have for my aunts, and uncles, that tell me we are all going about this all wrong. We are growing apart, but it was Granny's dream, and my mom's dream, and my dream, and it was your dream. That we all stay together, because we are family, and we started this together, let's end this together, screw what anyone throws at us. You come at one, you come at us all.
That is what mom taught me, because granny taught her, and the next and the next. Because Our family has a long list of women fighting to make it easier for their daughter, and a monster trying to keep her from finding her freedom. Each woman beaten and raped by the men in their lives, but they made it through. They were telling you fairy tells to make you stronger. You fight like hell through your war, then you get free, and then you make it every day free. But its hard when you have to keep looking at the face of the one who kicked your ass and tried to break you. If it had been anyone else, some other monster, they would pay. but no, he still runs you, because the war is over, but now you depend on him. Will he approve, does he love me. He can't because he isn't raping me, or beating me, or telling me I'm shit. Then we find a man who doesn't, and everyday he has to fight to get to the part of you that remembers that you love him.
Youngest Aunt, I understand what you are going through. I laid my monster to rest, but it didn't end there. I have nightmares. I have flash backs. I have it playing over and over in my head. And guess what, Its OK. So please, when you are finally able and are ready to talk about what happened to you, why you were forced to be quiet and not talk, and you are ready to share your story with me, I'm ready. Because I know you are a warrior and I want to hear your war story.
Love,
Me