When you think no one is watching,
Shadows fall heavy on your smile.
Do you know you are loved?
Do you know of the divine you carry?
I see it all the time;
In the glimmer of your eyes when you love,
Because you love people
Deeply.
.
Do you know of the joy that you bring?
You invite smiles and laughter in rooms empty of sound,
You invite connection and safety in a world that often is void of it.
I hope some of that laughter, joy and divine light
You keep to yourself.
.
You are so giving,
I hope you give yourself the love you are so good at giving others;
We need you to.
You need yourself to.
Your shadows tell you lies and blur your sight with pain and tears.
.
I hope you know those things don’t define you.
I hope you know you are worth the effort.
I hope you know we love you,
Shadows and all.
.
It is okay to be broken,
We all are.
We can sit together and present our shadows to each other,
Mine weighs down my heart,
So sometimes I am scared of loving.
.
I hope you know you are loved in all your complexity.
To be broken is to be human,
And your humanity is beautiful
