i keep asking myself what kind of partner i am if i couldn't protect someone i love from the battles in her own mind. the question hurts because i wanted so badly to be a safe place for her. but maybe loving someone was never about having the power to save them from every storm. maybe it was about staying beside them when the sky grew dark, reminding them they didn't have to face it alone. i will always wish i could have taken away her pain. i would have, without hesitation. but i can't confuse love with control. i cannot fight every battle for someone else, no matter how deeply i care. that doesn't make my love meaningless. it doesn't erase the moments i was there, the comfort i gave, or the care i tried to show. i can keep learning, keep showing up, and keep loving with honesty and compassion.
if i ever feel like i wasn't enough, i'll remember this the measure of my love isn't whether i could fix everything. it's that i cared enough to stay, to try, and to hope.