The Power of Feeling Seen

The deepest traumas can begin to heal simply when someone feels truly seen. You had a remarkable ability to see people; it was like a superpower. The truth is, it becomes difficult to harbor dislike for someone when you genuinely understand them. Perhaps that’s why you never seemed to dislike anyone. You radiated love, but maybe it was your gift as a seer that allowed you to love everyone around you effortlessly.

Throughout my childhood, I often felt invisible and misunderstood. My parents weren’t to blame; they were simply too conventional to grasp my essence. I was a poet, a writer, an artist through-and-through—all concepts that felt beyond their reach. I was too sensitive, too open, too vulnerable.

It was you who first truly saw me when I was in my thirties. By then, I had accumulated a lot of trauma from my years of feeling unseen. Yet, your love reflected back to me the divine spark within myself. For the first time, I was given the glimpse of my own divinity, which helped me nurture a love for who I am. Your acceptance of me made it so much easier for me to accept myself. “Your vulnerability is so beautiful,” you often told me. “It’s rare. Don’t lose it.”

This kind of affirmation was foreign to me. But over time, as I heard it repeatedly from you, I began to embrace it. Accepting this truth allowed me to remove the mask I wore in the world. Without that mask, I began to attract people who were drawn to my true self and my talents. Thus, my life truly began.

All of this transformation stemmed from the simple act of you seeing me.

Thank you, J.

From the Series: Love Letters to my Dearest Departed Friend.