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Diana van Eyk's avatar

Wow! I can so relate to not believing in forgiveness. It's not that I don't believe in it exactly, but that letting go of the resentment comes at its own pace.

Both of my parents grew up in extreme poverty and were really damaged by it, and in turn I was damaged by their early experience. My friends all tell me that I'm fiercely independent, and I still can't completely figure out why, except that maybe I had to be from an early age.

Congratulations on getting as far as you have. I'm still not there yet.

Here's a song that I love that speaks to that damaged part of me:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an3AkQL62F8

Thanks for sharing such vulnerable stuff.

Karina Maria's avatar

Such a great song! Thank you for sharing, Diana! And you're exactly right; Letting go of resentment comes at its own pace. You know what they say, "life's not a race, it's a marathon." Hopefully we'll get there one day. If not, we'll learn to find beauty in the icky, sticky, hard stuff and press on. Looking forward to reading your work too :)

Diana van Eyk's avatar

So glad you liked the song! Thanks for sharing your vulnerability, and doing it so well and relatably.

Diony Flete's avatar

Loved how raw and vulnerable you got with your writing. So in depth, I can literally feel your internal struggles through your words. Definitely will be bringing this into the classroom as young adults all around need this message to be heard and understood.

Thank you!

Stanley Fritz's avatar

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Kenroy Cherrington's avatar

A lot of fathers, MOSTLY Black fathers inauspiciously, are absentee/and deadbeats!

Karina Maria's avatar

Well hold on. Let’s not clump all black fathers in here. I know a lot of wonderful black fathers. I’m speaking to anyone who has willingly made the choice to abandon.

Kenroy Cherrington's avatar

Okay, I should have said 'mostly' regarding Black fathers

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Sep 19, 2023Edited
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Karina Maria's avatar

Chandra, I understand you completely. Thank you for sharing because it makes me feel less alone. We can’t change what happened to us but we can build a community to push each other. Write on, sister! Can’t wait to read.

Stanley Fritz's avatar

I love your writing, so I can't wait for you to publish. Thanks for taking out some time from your day to check this essay out. @karina is going to be publishing on here more, so I'm excited to see what else she comes with.