I can’t minimize the hurt,
and I can’t erase the love either.
I have to let both exist
side by side,
living in me.

Maybe that’s where true courage lies.
Not in choosing one over the other,
but in allowing both to be there.
In stopping fear
from convincing me
that I have to pick.
That I’ll feel less pain
if I just choose.

For so long, I have believed I had to.
That holding on to love
meant denying the pain,
and that feeling the hurt
meant letting go
of what was good.
But now I see,
that’s not how it works at all.

It’s not about choosing.
It’s about learning to live
in the in-between.
The space where love and loss,
joy and sorrow,
pain and relief
all have a place.

Maybe that’s where
real healing happens.
And maybe,
that’s where I’ll find myself again.

Not by turning away,
but by holding it all.
No matter what.
This is how I begin
to move forward again.

Maybe wholeness
isn’t about healing perfectly,
but about learning
to carry it all with grace.
And learning
when to reach out for help.

Not waiting
until the pain
or desperation
makes the choice
for me.