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The Vanishing Chapter Thirty One
Hidden Within
Chapter Thirty One:
There was no denying Rachel’s situation was no longer the same, no amount of wishing could change that, she had been beaten and broken, but she was alive. Since we didn’t know whether she was alive or dead for years, we are grateful that G-d brought her back to us. My life had changed in that time too, but Rachel’s scars ran so much deeper, her spirit had been broken by the monster who had taken her.
It hurts me to look at Rachel, to see the empty shell where my sister once was. I wanted her back, but for now we could only see little glimpses of what she used to be. I knew that G-D had it in his hands, and that was the best place to keep it. Meanwhile, I had to learn to come to terms with what the bullet had done to me. During the past few months, I had all but forgotten about taking care of myself. Esther gently reminded me that in order to help Rachel, in order to be there for Ruth, I would have to take care of myself.
“Your sisters and nieces need you, but you can’t pretend it didn’t happen; you need to take care of yourself not only physically, but also mentally. G-d doesn’t want you to beat yourself up over something you have no control over.” Esther reminded me. Neither Rachel’s disappearance nor what she’s dealing with now are your fault.”
