Realization 102
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Realization 102

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I am a cutter, not physically, but emotionally. When I have had enough, I walk away and slam the door in your face. There is usually a warning that one does not heed or sometimes I do it without an verbal explanation. It is the INFP-T in me.

I am not a fan of wasting my time, my energy, and my self respect. I can be the most loving individual or as cold as ice. Admittedly, I often find myself to be passive aggressive and confused about my feelings. I find myself at war with what is right for me versus what is right for the collective.

I have spent a great deal of time focusing on why I do the door slam. There are a ton, just to let you know, but I am going to focus on the one that matters the most to me. I have come to the conclusion that those people “loved” me with conditions. I love without conditions and so I will not accept any less. It has cost me so much but it had to be done for my peace of mind and health. I will be forever sorry for that because I do not like to hurt people. I hope one day for forgiveness. The act of loving yourself completely is an act of sacrifice.
I have finally found my tribe and are surrounded by those who love me without conditions or expectations, I love you all more than you will ever know!
~Jenn

Love
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Love

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He was not reading a book to me last night as I sat in the tub, tears running down my face. Exhausted, confused, and full of fear. He simply sat there with me and told me it was going to be ok no matter the outcome. We were going to keep fighting, living, and loving!
As I face what might come next, I know he will be there for me every step of the way. He has fought with me and for me, he has held me while I cried and soothed my broken soul. Along with our beautiful children, he is the greatest gift I have ever received! We have weathered many storms and experienced great triumphs. He loved me when I did not love myself, he showed me compassion and care when I did not deserve it, and held onto me when I did not think I could hold on anymore. He showed me that even though I made mistakes, I was a person deserving of his love.
I love you to the moon and back and to deep space beyond, in this life and the next!

Realization 101……
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Realization 101……

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•Want to know who has inflicted the most pain on me?
•Who hated me so much that they broke my spirit.
•The person who spread lies about me?
•Who told me over and over that I would never be good enough. Love enough. Or show up enough.
•The person who shamed me for mistakes that can not be undone.
•The one who lied to me and said they loved me.
•The person that told me no one would ever accept me for who I was.

Any guesses so far??
Well after some deep soul searching, sleepless nights, and endless tears…….that person is ME!

Practicing self love and self acceptance, for me, has been the hardest and most painful thing I have experienced so far. I have driven the knife so deep that I ache in places I did not know existed. I shattered my own heart and only I can fix it. The biggest battle I face, is not with my illnesses, but with myself.

I will always be a work in progress, one step forward and two steps back and vice versa. What matters is to keep tending to the wounds I have left behind and the ones still bleeding out. To find the bright spots in a world full of darkness and to be proud of the scars left behind.

JuJu

Those moments……
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Those moments……

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Those moments when my soul tells me to start writing and I resist……internal battle of epic proportions ensues. I know deep down I need to finally put it in writing but I am flat out terrified. Ashamed of my true feelings due to social norms and expectations, not only from others but from myself. The subject matter is super sensitive and opening that dialogue is one best left for a time in which I am not on the edge. Even saying it loud brings a realness that is raw and emotionally devastating.
This isn’t a story, it’s real life. Complicated emotions and way to many people at the table. The evidence is there in black and white, in memory, and in the truth amongst the lies. Maybe someday soon I will be brave enough…….until then here is another thought I had today.

There is nothing clinical about being a writer and poet, it is art, it becomes a part of who you are! I feel every emotion as if it just happened. I go back to that time and relive it. It can be difficult and emotionally draining, especially if I am not yet healed from it.
The narrative will not change but hopefully the intense emotions behind it will alter as I grow to love myself and be proud of who I am and how I feel. I do not want to feel anger and hate but those are ones I must accept and work through, to learn the lessons set out before me.

People will tell you to look on the bright side, let go, find peace, yada yada and that is stellar advice. Obviously that is the end goal, but you have to crawl before you walk! You have to have the support to hold you up! You have to give YOU time to process and heal properly. No magic or snap of the fingers is going to shorten that journey. It is dedication, hard work, REST, and most importantly you have to WANT IT!! Begin at your own pace, to make peace with your demons, and discover yourself again! Learn from the past, just don’t stay longer than the lesson. Our emotions are not all rainbows and sunshine, happy and uplifting. Accept your shadow self and respect him or her. Know your limits and understand you can not give what you do not have, you can not save everyone.

You are never going to have support from everyone you want, you are going to lose people you love to both death and circumstance. Mourn them and then celebrate the ones you still have! Quality over quantity! Find your tribe and vibe!!
🖤☮ JuJu

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This one left a dark mark on my soul…….

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The situation was so very messed up and out of control
You thought we were avenging angels but nothing is ever that easy
We did everything we could but it was still never enough
Put our kids in danger but it still cut
You told me we were useless and fucked up
Easy for someone who sees no reflection
You looked the other way
Telling me how grateful I should be, does this look like heaven to you
This is my own hell, the one you hoped for me
I am tired and strung out on what could have been
Wondering how I could lose something that was never mine to begin with
All the pain, tearing at my skin, trying to be who you want to see
Well your shit out of luck, this is me
All the broken and whole pieces you choose not to see
Hits to close to home, I know……
Being fake tends to make you lose yourself, as you pretend that you have it all figured out
It is easy to see what you want to see, no one ever truly knows
I still have nightmares about it you know, the devil comes to torment me
I sometimes believe it was you who sent him to me, punishment you see
This is what happens when you give your all but you just can not save them all
~JuJu

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In All Ways……

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Someday
I hope what you did, fades from my memory
As you did from my life
The reasons are like the seasons
Forever changing
One day I hope forgiveness finds us both
Maybe someday
Tears won’t sting my eyes
Concerning all the lies
All the pain trapped deep inside
Yesterday I lied, when I said I was alright
Somethings can’t be erased
The scars etched deep within the skin
Forever frozen in time
I never knew my heart could break this way
Maybe, in some way, it will mend again
And we can begin again

Jennifer Steen

How Darkness Became My Friend.
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How Darkness Became My Friend.

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I sat in the dark for so long, I got comfortable. I would fumble around confused and run into the walls, literally and figuratively. Over time, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I began to see more clearly. There was a comfort in the darkness, for I could not see my reflection, the self hatred written on the walls. It became my safe place from the spotlight shed upon me, all the judgements faded away behind a black cloud of hate.

I pushed everyone away, fear drove me this way, for I just wished to suffer alone. In the mind, you can not hurt others this way. It is a journey they must find for their own. Why would you want to take others to the depths of despair with you? That was my lonely road to travel alone, or so I believed.

You see, I came upon a mirror one day, and was saddened by what I had seen. A stranger stared back at me, skin and bones, the twinkle in her eyes…..gone. I wondered then how in the darkness, I could see her face so clear. He whispered just then, she is the light that shines with me, for our souls are twins. We are a packaged deal, two for the price of one, and I would say that is not a bad deal. For those like me, who are sensitive you see. The light begins to blind you, and you lose your way. Only then when the darkness descends, are you forced to see things in another way.

To find the light and dark within yourself and adjust accordingly. Do not fear the dark for he will show the light when it is time. Frame the mirror from which you found yourself and display it proudly. You have walked through something many never found their way out of and be ready to go back someday. For the lessons are never really over, this world is to cold to hold onto the warmth forever. You will find the blanket along the way and come out each time stronger than before. Have faith they say, I choose to find it in both places. They are both now my friends, for they showed me the right way.

~Jennifer Steen

*This piece was inspired by my sister Emily, she gives me the courage to keep fighting and to dig deep within myself and find the light within. We have walked similar yet different paths and found each other along the way. Along this journey we call life, we will encounter Angels in our midst, they will shine their light on us, and we will be forever changed. I love you Em and thank you!