I Hope These Words Are Enough

I never felt worthy. For my entire life, I felt seen in bits and pieces. I loved fiercely and felt love in return, but the person they loved was only a mere piece of who I am.

And then you came along.

You looked at a 22-year-old me, broken and bruised, trying to thrive, and you accepted me exactly as I am.

In a world where I was always too loud, too quiet, too well-behaved, too mouthy, always too much of this and not enough of the other, your love was unconditional.

Unlike the ghosts from my past, you never make me feel small. In fact, you believe in me so much that I am invincible. You don’t wish I was more or less—you love all my many parts. You cherish both my shining qualities and my deepest flaws. You don’t cower from the strong woman that I have become, you embrace her, you support her, and you encourage her to be fiercer than ever before.

Your love serves as a protective armor around my heart, keeping out the darkness of the world. You fill me with light and love and an optimism that I haven’t felt in a very long time.

Through all of your encouragement, your love, and your light, you have reminded me how to love myself. You have taught me that I am courageous, kind, and worthy of more than I have accepted my entire life. I am capable of loving unconditionally and of accepting that love in return.

You never take credit for the place that I find myself in, although you certainly deserve some. Humbly, you tell me that I am stronger than I know, that I am wiser than I believe, and that I have moved many mountains in my lifetime. You are my constant star, shining bright like Orion’s belt, reminding me that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Amidst all of the chaos of the world, you hold my hand as we walk into the unknown.

I don’t know how to write a love song, but I hope that these words are enough.