To the Girl Who Saved Us
A Heartfelt Letter to My 20-Year-Old Self
Dear 20-Year-Old Me,
I can hardly put into words how much I need to thank you right now. I’ve been sitting here thinking about all that you went through, all that you endured, and I’m honestly in awe of your strength. You were 20, scared, and overwhelmed, and yet you made the decision to leave an abusive marriage. I can’t imagine how hard that was—how many times you second-guessed yourself, how many times you thought you couldn’t do it. But you did. You made it out. And I don’t think I’d be here, at 34 years old, living the life I am now, if you hadn’t done that.
I know how tough it was. You were stuck in a cycle of poverty, living in a place where every day felt like a struggle just to make it through. You were trying to keep everything together for your kids, barely scraping by, and I know you wondered if things would ever change. Then, when you moved to the Dominican Republic, you thought maybe, just maybe, you’d find a way out. But that didn’t turn out the way you hoped, did it? You found yourself trapped again. The same story, a different setting. And I know that hurt so much. You thought you’d finally gotten away from the abuse, but it just followed you.
And yet, even when everything seemed to be falling apart, you found a way to make the hardest decision of your life. You left. You left for your kids. You left because you knew they didn’t deserve to grow up seeing their mother being broken down like that. You left because you knew, deep down, that there was more waiting for you and for them. And that takes more courage than I think I could ever put into words.
Looking back now, I see how much that moment shaped everything that came after. You showed me how to stand up for myself, how to fight for something better, and most importantly, how to choose to keep going when life feels impossible. I know it wasn’t easy. I know you felt lost, like you didn’t have any idea how to make it all work. But you kept pushing. You kept going, even when you didn’t have the strength to keep going. You did it for us. You did it for me, for the woman I’ve become, for the peace I have now, for the life that I never thought I could have.
Without you, I don’t think I’d be able to stand tall and proud the way I do now. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to look at my daughters and know that I’ve done everything in my power to give them a better life. You did that. You gave me the foundation to be the mother I am, the woman I am today. You are the reason I can say I’m at peace now, living a life I once thought was impossible.
So, thank you. Thank you for fighting when you had nothing left. Thank you for making the hard choice. You saved us. You saved me.
With all my love,
Maria (34 years old)
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Comments (1)
I am another survivor who scraped to survive violence herself. You have overcome so much at a young age, and I want you to know I am proud of you from the bottom of my heart for that, and for your children too.