🕊️ Part 4: Dear Love, You’re Safe Here

Dear Love,

You’ve changed.

Or maybe I have.

Either way, we no longer look like the honeymoon version of ourselves — and that’s okay.

Once upon a time, you were fireworks and heartbeats.

Now you’re quiet mornings, half-finished coffee, shared glances across the chaos.

You’re the soft shoulder that steadies me when life shakes too hard.

I used to think love was supposed to feel effortless, but the truth is — it’s a thousand small choices made on the days when it’s anything but easy.

We’ve seen things, you and I.

The hard years. The silent dinners. The slammed doors followed by whispered apologies.

The moments when “I love you” felt like work — not words.

But love, you’re still here.

And that means something.

💞 The Real Kind

You’re not the glossy, picture-perfect kind of love.

You’re weathered, steady, beautifully ordinary.

You’ve sat in hospital waiting rooms, folded laundry at midnight, and held my hand through panic and pain.

You’ve seen me at my worst — the unfiltered, unedited, undone version — and somehow you still choose me.

You’ve loved me through the breakdowns, the healing, the seasons of finding my footing again.

You didn’t try to fix me.

You just stayed.

And staying — that’s what love really is.

🌦️ The Work and the Wonder

We learned that love isn’t 50/50.

Some days it’s 90/10. Some days it’s just one of us holding on while the other remembers why it’s worth it.

It’s the willingness to start over every morning, even when yesterday felt like too much.

Love, you taught me that laughter is holy.

That forgiveness is a daily ritual.

That “I’m sorry” and “thank you” are sacred phrases.

You reminded me that perfection was never the goal — connection was.

🌹 The Safe Place

I used to chase butterflies; now I crave roots.

And you’ve become that — the place I come home to, the calm after the noise.

Love, you’re safe here.

You don’t have to perform or pretend.

You can be tired. You can be flawed. You can breathe.

I’ve stopped expecting you to save me — you were never meant to.

You were meant to walk beside me while I learned to save myself.

So here we are — two people who grew up, grew through, and still choose each other anyway.

And that, to me, is the most romantic thing of all.

With gratitude and grace,

The woman who finally learned that love isn’t found — it’s built.

✨ Takeaway: Love That Stays

The truest kind of love isn’t loud or showy — it’s the quiet endurance through ordinary days.

It’s laughter after arguments, forgiveness without conditions, and choosing each other after life tries to pull you apart.

If you’re in a season of rebuilding, remember this:

Real love doesn’t demand perfection — it just asks you to stay present.

And that’s more than enough.