To those who are broken, to those who are healing, to those fighting silent battles no one knows about, to those who cry themselves to sleep, to those who feel alone, to those who have been abandoned, to those recovering, to those going through a divorce, to those who have lost someone they loved, to those left behind by the choices of others, to those who feel hope slipping away… I see you. I am proud of you. Keep showing up. Keep going. Keep taking one small step forward, even when it feels impossible.
It’s 4:30 p.m. on a Friday, payday. The weekend is calling, and I’m counting down the minutes. But just as excitement rises, anxiety crashes in. Why am I so thrilled to leave work just to return to an empty house, to spend another Friday alone? Most people can’t wait to leave work, but when life is heavy, sometimes work is the only place that keeps your mind busy, your heart occupied, and your sanity intact.
Sure, I have friends I could call—but am I bothering them? Are they tired of hearing me cry and vent about my life? And I definitely don’t want to spend time with the friend who insists my husband walked out because of something “wrong” with me, who pressures me to make decisions immediately, who judges my every move. We all know that friend—the one who claims honesty is love, but leaves you feeling smaller, weaker, and ashamed. The friend who deflects their own problems onto you. The friend who judges your pain instead of holding space for it.
Friends can break your heart too. Sadly, some of my deepest heartbreaks weren’t from a partner—they were from friends who didn’t want to “deal” with me during my worst days. When life is great, everyone wants to be around you. But when life hurts, when darkness consumes, some friends vanish without a word.
I once had a friend who simply stopped talking to me because I was drinking and getting tattoos. What she didn’t understand was that every tattoo was reclaiming my body, my life, my freedom. Each drink, each night out, was a celebration of not being trapped in a home where I had to tiptoe on eggshells, a home where I was someone’s emotional punching bag. For the first time in 11 years, I was making my own choices. I needed her support during those nights I cried myself to sleep, the mornings I couldn’t get out of bed, the days I couldn’t make it through without tears—but she disappeared. Rumors replaced check-ins, ghosting replaced friendship.
And then there was my best friend, my soul sister of 11 years, who told me I would never hold a job because I couldn’t hold my marriage together. She yelled, screamed, and then blocked me from social media and my phone, leaving me utterly alone. That hurt more than anything my husband did. That betrayal broke my heart in ways I didn’t think possible.
Months later, I finally understood: these were not my friends, and it didn’t matter how long we’d known each other. I reflected on the kind of friend I was—I never abandoned a friend, I never yelled at or judged them, I always showed up, held space, cried with them, celebrated with them, supported them endlessly. I am the friend who sits through late-night venting, who answers your call when sleep won’t come, who is there without judgment, who goes the extra mile to remind you you are loved.
So again, it’s 4:30 p.m. on a Friday, and it’s payday. Seek the friend who pours the wine, who listens without interruption, who never tires of your story, even when it’s repeated over and over. Go to the friend who will let you stay as late as you need, who sits with you on the porch, who gives pep talks, who includes you in family holidays, who invites you out of town just to remind you life still has color. Go to the friend who supports you fully, who understands that healing looks different for everyone, who never judges your choices, and who will be there for the long haul. These friends are real—they show up, they sit with you in the pain, and they become your family when the rest of the world disappears.
To all the incredible women in these photos—these are true friends. These are the ones who love without judgment, who always show up, who accept me fully, who never leave my side. They have become my family, my safe space, my home.
