For Marissa
This is yours. I made it for you.
This little corner of the internet belongs to you. No one else can see it. No one can take it away.
It's just a place where I can keep some things I want you to have. Photos of us. Words I mean. Evidence that you're loved, for the days when your head tries to tell you otherwise.
You can come back here whenever you need to.
Proof That You Are Loved
The good moments. The ones I keep coming back to.
Our Girl
Delilah.
What I See
Things I notice about you. Things that are true.
The way you care for things you aren't connected to. Animals, hungry people, nature around you. You are incredibly empathetic.
How you make our friends feel like our family.
The little giggly noises you make when you're truly happy.
Your drive around improving yourself and your craft. You aren't one to just sit on your hands.
Your love for our girl. She knows exactly how much you love her.
Letters
Words I mean.
Dear Marissa,
Nearly three years ago, I sat next to this crazy-looking girl at a brunch and knew she was different. Not just in look, but in how she approached life. Nothing was taken for granted. The thought that everything could be taken away at any moment was there, and she lived like it; picking up crazy birds, caring for random animals, and so on. She tried to help things around her, especially the defenseless ones.
She still does.
Even though her life has become more safeguarded, I can see that she still wants to keep safe spaces for those most in need (often animals). It's a pure thing that I often remember for motivation. If someone who has gotten their feelings and body hurt as many times as you have can continue caring for others, especially those she has no connection to, then I can live life similarly as well.
You keep me grounded and empathetic. I look to you not just for comfort, but for inspiration to keep improving the world around us. The person I was when we met years ago would be shocked to see me now, and none of it would be possible without you.
You've been the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Even when we fight, my love for you doesn't pause. It doesn't stop. I trust we will come back together when we're ready and resolve our differences to strengthen the shared space between us.
I want you to come back and read this letter whenever you're feeling unsafe, or when the world feels too overwhelming, or when your personal world feels threatened. You are safe, and nothing can take that away from you.
I love you, and always will.