There’s a quote I’ve always held close to my heart about love.

“We’re only as whole as the person we allow to fill the other half of our hearts.”

I know he was special, at least at the time. When you were at your deepest, you couldn’t imagine the next moment without his breath on your neck. You weren’t just in love with him, you were infatuated with him, every part of him.

It wasn’t just his smile, it was the way it curved the creases under his eyes.

It wasn’t just his laugh, it was the way it filled the space around him.

It wasn’t just his touch, it was the way you melted under it.

It wasn’t just him, it was the way he made you feel.

For the first time, you didn’t love him, you loved the way he made you feel about yourself. The times you smiled around him were the times you smiled brightest. The times you laughed around him were the times he reminded you just how worthy of love you are.

So, when he left, he took part of you with him.

He didn’t leave quietly, he slammed the door left with an exclamation point on a lifetime of happiness and failure. You attached yourself to all the beautiful ideas of a lifetime together that he planted in your soil, and you weren’t wrong for that.

You were in love with the idea of him, and no one can blame you for how you chose to mend the wilted flowers.

But there’s one thing you have to tell yourself: you will be okay. I know you loved him, but you will be okay.

There is a sunrise in your smile, there’s an autumn sky in your eyes, and you are so worthy of seeing those things with freedom in your heart.