But Dear Friend,
I beg of you, think of it this way:
Imagine someone burned themselves on a stove and came to you for help. They told you about the pain while you wrapped blisters in bandages and held ice to raw skin. You tell them that you understand, that you too have placed your hand somewhere you thought was safe. But before the skin could heal, they came back to you with more blisters and laughed as they said, "It was that dumb stove again." But then two times turns into 3 and 3 into 4. And every time they tell you it was that damn stove again. But you would not look at them and say, "How dare that stove be hot! How dare it do as it has always done and not cool to your touch!" Because, yes, the stove is hot. It causes pain. It might even leave a scar. But there is only one way it can burn you. Only one way it can reopen old wounds.
And that, my sweet friend, is why hope you hear me when I say there comes a time when you have to stop touching the stove.
