I’ve been hurt, and, more often than not, I was the one to supply the means for it to be done. The little girl I once was stays and watches—dormant in her actions, but not her thoughts—with dried tears staining her cheeks as she witnesses her older self allowing such pain into her life.

She doesn’t quite understand it; the concept of humans inflicting pain on humans is horrific to such an innocent soul. 

Just keep loving.

The hardest part is that she can’t stop it from happening and neither can any version of herself: past, present, or future. It is an inevitable experience sure to leave scars. 

But, the girl knows something that I often forget: scar tissue is stronger than regular skin.

Just keep loving.

I’ve learned a lot over the years, but I’m now convinced that my toxic trait is my tendency to sacrifice my own personal needs to make anybody thrive. It’s not toxic in that it negatively affects others but rather myself. 

And no matter how much I’ve been thrown into the dirt, the little girl remains steadfast in her response: just keep loving. 

As I brush the rubble from my knees and look back at her, it is evident that she knows more than I do in this moment. 

She sees the value in grace. She sees the little kid inside of everybody; they all have their own embodiment of innocence inside, and they just happen to show it differently than others.

Just keep loving.

So, these words—the things they may say to me—aren’t something to fret over. They aren’t truly being as malicious as they may seem to be.

They’re just protecting that innocence, and there’s no use in giving them more reason to do so aggressively.

Just keep loving.

In these moments, when the armor they put up becomes offensive rather than defensive, all I can do is keep loving.

I can help to protect that little kid instead of being the catalyst for war.

People say things, but they don’t mean them. Not really.

“You mean nothing to me.” 

Just keep loving.

“You’re fake and aren’t worthy of my time.”

Just keep loving.

“You’re obnoxious, and I hate being around you.”

Just keep loving. 

This little girl knows more than I do now. She knows, perhaps better than anybody, that showing grace to those who inflict pain goes a long way.

It obviously won’t be a cure-all to the malignancy of the hurt that words can cause, but it’s more than a mere band-aid. 

Because, ultimately, the one who keeps loving just might end up on top. 

Maybe this little girl can reemerge one day when I get my happy ending. I’m already on the way there and will see it someday, so long as I remind myself to just keep loving.