The Privilege Of Love

I knew when I decided to love you

fully, 

with all of my heart

that I was risking everything.

I knew your lifespan was shorter than mine

and that you might die

far sooner than I.

Despite this,

I still chose to love all of you

with all of me.

Because you deserved that

and because I did too.

And though you did die -

far sooner than I -

to stand in the pain of your death

I continue to love you fully,

fiercely,

with unwavering dedication,

which has transformed me.

For I know now,

that to have given every breath of myself

to love all of you

is the most beautifully brave thing

I have ever done in my lifetime.

It is the single greatest achievement

of my life.

I have learned

that this is what true love is -

to choose the possibility of pain

for the privilege to be love.

It is to risk everything

- everything -

inside ourselves.

It is to meet our greatest fears

and decide that it's still worth it,

so that we may come to realize

that we are capable of giving

the kind of love

that changes lives

and moves mountains.

In this way,

true, deep, complete love is not easy.

It is simple, but not an easy choice.

Which is why

whenever I see such love in the world

It leaves me in awe.

Never a more beautiful thing

have I seen

than the immense bravery

of any single being

that chooses to LOVE.