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“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” MAYA ANGELOU
Time does not heal all wounds.
It wasn’t because the weight of it had changed, though. It was because we’d learned how to carry it, how to balance the devastation of death with the demand of life.
Because there’s no avoiding the rain. Sometimes it lasts for days, and sometimes it only lasts for a few seconds, but either way, it’s going to come, so there’s no sense in letting it ruin your day.”
Any need she expresses is a direct order for me, something I can't ignore, so when she said she was hungry, I knew I had to feed her.
Do you know how rare that is? To find a man who not only wants to take accountability for what he did wrong but also wants to relieve you of the burden of carrying the hurt he caused you?”
“Not sweep it under the rug and tell you it never happened or that you overreacted. But carry it. Work every day to fix it. Pour enough love into you that you don’t even remember what it was like to hurt. That’s not the kind of man you run from, baby.”
I wanted to give her relief, the kind of comfort that could only be found in partnerships based on trust and a mutual investment in the shared outcome.
She always did value the small things, the little moments of honesty and dependability that most people tend to write off as unimportant because they think trust can only be built in instances of rare, life-changing events.
My incessant need to fix, to intervene, to protect when all I really have to do is listen. To ask the right questions and hold space for her answers.
swept away by the wave of desire and love that swells in my chest, coming to a crest when she smiles at me, revealing both of her dimples.
I relish the sensation of being held, cradled with care by hands that have always had the power to soothe my worries.
adults, fully formed humans who showed up every day and chose each other. Who hid nothing and bared everything.
although seeing her walk around with my ring on her hand would feel a lot like winning a prize I’ve been working for my entire life,
We don’t need the permanence of vows or diamond rings—her soul and mine are wrapped around each other, inextricably linked, bound by a love that refuses to be undone no matter how much time passes—but I would love to have them.
“But certainty is a desire of the brain, not the heart. The only certainty we get in this life is death and the grief that comes with it. Everything else is ours to make, to hold in our hands and shape with our palms. To nurture or let die.”
It’s such a simple gesture. The act of listening, really listening, and using what you hear to make thoughtful decisions that ensure the person who communicated their needs to you feels heard.
