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.
