You are what love is, and I can’t believe I didn’t know before.

I can’t believe I spent all my days restless, anxious, trying so desperately to grasp onto something that I could never have.

It was right of front of me this whole time.

My fears, my terrifying reality, and the anxious wave that crossed over me when I thought about tomorrow.

Now, all I think of is you.

And in many tomorrows, how I’ll be able to hold your hand and kiss those beautiful cheeks.

You are what living is, and I can’t believe I’ve lived without it before.

I can’t believe I would wake up and cry at the thought of having to take one step out into that cruel world alone.

I can’t believe I’d shake hands with my overwhelming thoughts and crippling emotions for another day that would unsettle and destroy me.

My once unknowing heart that couldn’t bear to even think about keeping myself alive any longer.

That brain that plagued me, that tore at me and made me question why on Earth I kept myself there when nobody loved me.

You built me up, built me from nothing. Built me from that cold, dark rosebud that couldn’t bloom no matter how hard I pushed. You built me into this gorgeous, jubilant, triumphant flower that conquered even the strongest of rains.

That dandelion that, despite having lost all it’s strands from the harsh wind, was still standing.

You are what happiness is, and I can’t believe I didn’t see that before.

What was happiness, truly?

Was it the little things I pushed myself to enjoy? Was it the fake smile I plastered on to my face, and continued to question if it was real?

But you, you pull real emotions out of me. Real laughs, real tears, real smiles. The night we spoke I couldn’t even control myself. My body shook and a permanent smile imprinted itself upon my face.

You were the breath of fresh air that I so desperately needed.

My claustrophobic reality and habitat that had strangled me for so long; you wrapped me in that warm embrace, like stepping inside a warm house after a shower of snow.

You made me myself, and I’m not sure if I ever really knew who that was before.

Who was I, truly?

You are what reality is, and I can’t believe I didn’t acknowledge that before.

You made me realize my flaws, my insecurities, my terrifying thoughts and imprisoning emotions.

I became aware of how I thought, and aware of how stupid I am sometimes. I became aware of my faults, and how irrationally I looked at things. Of how weak I really was.

I learned my true self through you, the real me that stared back through the confines of the mirror, once longing to be released. You released me, revealed who I could be.

And even though I became aware of my flaws, I became aware of my strengths.

You let me help you, you gave me your heart despite how terribly patched up it was. Cracks, scrapes, bruises, all concealed with the desperate hope of a bandage, thinking that perhaps if it was covered up, it never really existed.

But it did.

You are what strength is, and I’m sorry you didn’t see that before.

But I surely hope you see it now. I hope you see that, even if the cracks are still there, it’s okay to be broken.

I’m grateful for you letting me in, even with all that you’ve been through. I grit my teeth at how you were treated in the past, but this is a promise of my dedication to you.

I can’t tell you enough just how in love I am with you, and just how excited I am to spend the rest of our days together.

Things are hard, but what is a relationship without a little error? A few mistakes, some tears, and “I’m sorry”s?

There’s nothing in this world that is perfect, no matter how perfect I think you are for me, the truth is that we can not be a flawless pair. We can not be this shining image of perfection and clarity, but we are the messy, cluttered image of love.

We are the been through, the have seen, have saw, have conquered; we are the fighters. The people that have been through the worst, and even though we don’t know what to do, we get through it together.

We are what love is, and I believe it now and forever.