I evolved from being a character stuck in a story of forgiveness to being the narrator. I stopped acting out a script. I now use my own voice to tell how my story began and how it ends. My story does not begin with forgiveness. I began with self-care.
I begged my inner child to hold onto those memories for me. I thanked her for her strength and assured her that I would always honor her for being my memory keeper. The research findings by MacIntosh, Fletcher, and Collin-Vezia found that many survivors do not want the memories, and they are not requirements for healing. I like feeling normal within a trauma response.