I hope you'll always be there for me—to guide me when I lose my way, to walk beside me when life feels heavy, to take care of me even when I insist I don't need it, and to keep giving me advice, even when my stubborn heart isn't always ready to listen.
I'm sorry for the times I didn't fully value your presence. I was young, afraid, and trying to carry burdens that felt bigger than me. Sometimes I was so focused on surviving everything around me that I forgot to appreciate the people who were quietly holding me together.
As I've grown older, I've started to understand you in ways I couldn't before. I used to see only the moments when you weren't what I needed. Now I also see the woman behind them—the one who was trying, struggling, learning, and carrying burdens I knew nothing about.
I know there were times when I needed protection and didn't receive it. There are wounds that came from those moments, and for a long time, they were all I could see. But time has a way of softening the edges of pain and revealing the parts of the story we couldn't understand before. Now I see that you were human too—doing the best you could with what you had, even when it wasn't enough.
And I know there were times when I pushed you away when all you wanted was to be close to me.
Maybe that's what growing up is: realizing that our love was never perfect, but it was always there.
Now I see how hard it is for you to let go. Part of you wants me to build my own life, spread my wings, and find my own path. But another part of you still wants to keep me close, where you know I'm safe. And honestly, I understand that now.
I think sometimes your love looks like worry. Sometimes it looks like advice I don't want to hear. Sometimes it looks like trying to protect me from things I need to experience for myself. And while there are moments when I want more space, I never want you to think that I don't see the love behind it.
The truth is, I don't know what I would do without you. The thought alone leaves an ache in my chest. Because you are one of the few people who have always felt like home to me—a safe place, a steady light, a hand reaching for mine whenever I needed it most.
I hope you know this: I will love you in this life and in every place my soul might find after it. Some people become part of your story, but you became part of who I am. Your love, your sacrifices, your strength, and even your imperfections have shaped me in ways I could never fully put into words.
We both loved each other imperfectly.
And somehow, despite all of it, we are still here, trying to love each other better than before.
No matter how far I go, I hope you never doubt this: distance could never change what you mean to me. You are woven into who I am. Every step I take carries a piece of you with it.
And if I don't say it often enough, let me say it now: thank you for staying. Thank you for loving me through every version of myself. Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I made it difficult.
Home has never really been a place.
jacobvanloon
2087
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
jbbartram-illu
