A Love Letter to the People I Used to Love

To you, who saw me through my childhood

As innocence was lost by trauma

I loved you for the hours of laughter

Resting on our backs with albums in our hands

The kind of time that only comes with the freedom of youth

To you, who accompanied me into adulthood

Navigating the unknown of bigger consequences

I loved you for tethering me to joy

Debriefing our adventures as we discovered the world

A dotted line between what used to be and what I was becoming

To you, who helped me build the shape of my mothering

Sharing milestones and baby coos and disasters

I loved you for the way you loved my kids

Through bare cupboard picnics and exhausting overnights

We figured it out together, granting grace in the overwhelm

To you, who were there as I matured into middle age

When the realities of it all were sometimes too much to face alone

I loved you for your grounding presence

It was a season of long walks and deep talks

The complications of life shifting alongside dreams being achieved

To you, who I love now in this time of new freedom

As the house is quieter and the choices are all mine

I love you for embracing my wild dreams

Knowing that someday you may no longer be part of my life

I savor your precious friendship for the season we are in together

To you, those who are a part of my mysterious future

You will be the miracle I need at just the right time

I love you before I can even picture your face

All because of the heartbeats before you

And the love letters to the people I used to love