A Letter of Forgiveness

The following pertains to my biological father. I was adopted in January of 1999 after my parents were deemed unfit to take care of my siblings and me. We went through 4 years of foster care which involved being occasionally sent back to our bio. parents since DSS wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Dear Father,
I forgive you for the pain you caused.
Because within that pain, I sought for and found the presence of God within me.
I forgive you for the future joys you stole from me in that moment,
for I was given, instead, the more potent and powerful joy
of learning that I could heal devastating wounds.
I forgive you for robbing me of my peace of mind, of my sense of self,
for in my endless wanderings, I discovered I was never lost,
in my meanderings I rediscovered who I could be.
I forgive you, Father, for your inability to love me,
your inability to allow my happiness,
for this deficiency led me to loving family and friends
whom I could never take for granted.
I forgive you, Father, for being the source of my suffering
instead of the source of my protection
because your misdeeds set me upon the path I am now on;
a path that allows me to provide greater comfort to others
who have suffered the deepest of wounds as I have.
I do not hate you for doing that for me.
I do not hate you for giving me the experience I needed
in order to fulfill the vision and the quest of my soul.
Neither do I claim to be the self-righteous victim or martyr.
Despite your actions, you are not beneath me,
you are not less than me any more than you are greater than me.
In this moment I release the idea that you ever had power over me,
that you were a mightier evil than my light could handle.
The action you took against me was a cry for help, a cry for healing.
It may have taken me years, but I offer that to you now.
I forgive you, Father, for all the tears I've shed.
I forgive you for making me feel small and insignificant,
for making me feel weak and expendable.
For I am now experiencing the profound bliss
of reclaiming my happiness, my power, and my confidence.