This saying I came across today stopped me in my tracks. It spoke right to me, like it was written for the woman I used to be, the woman I am now, and the queen I’m still becoming.

“The girl you once were, heal for her. The woman you are now, protect her. The queen you were created to be, fight for her.”

— Morgan Richard Olivier

The woman I used to be…

she’s still here.

Tucked into the corners of my memory,

in the silent battles nobody saw,

in the quiet I carried when silence felt safer than truth.

She deserved better.

She deserved gentleness.

And every time I choose to breathe through the ache,

every time I choose honesty instead of hiding,

every time I choose to face the hard instead of running away,

I heal for her.

The woman I am now?

She’s not perfect—

she’s patched together with grace and grit.

Taped up and tattered,

but still moving.

She’s tired some days.

Strong others.

But always, ALWAYS, still standing.

And she deserves protection.

Not walls, not armor,

but boundaries that say:

“No. Not this time. Not again.”

And the queen I’m becoming?

Oh, she’s worth fighting for.

The one who doesn’t just survive storms,

but dances in the rain.

The one who knows her worth,

and walks like she finally believes it.

The one who loves deeply,

and doesn’t apologize for it.

I’m healing for the woman I used to be.

I’m protecting the woman I am now.

And I’m fighting for the queen I’m still becoming.

Every time I stand up for me,

for my worth,

and for those I love—

my self-respect grows stronger.

But so does my determination.

And both remind me I’m on my way.

Because all of them—

all of me—

deserve to rise.

And so do you.

Heal for the younger you.

Protect the version of you that’s here right now.

And fight for the future you’re still becoming.

You deserve to rise, too.