I hope the girl I fell in love with is still in there,
sending her hopes and dreams into the
arms of the universe,
knowing they'll be held infinitely.
I hope she still stares at the vibrancy of every sunset,
and that it still lights up every corner of her soul.
I hope she still sends messages through the stars,
and allows them to speak the words her heart can't quite express.
I hope she still looks at the ocean and sees the vastness of God's love and creation,
and feels reverence for the way it never retreats,
unlike the waves that often find themselves doing so.
I hope the sun reflecting off the lake still glistens into a part of her heart
that time has dimmed,
but never quite surrendered to the darkness.
I hope she still hears the whispers on the wind,
knows the secrets of the sun,
and finds peace within the rhythm of the rain.
I hope she still grows with the trees,
finds grace in the grass,
and that the moon still feels like a familiar friend.
I hope the colours of spring still paint her world,
and that she feels the warmth of love in the summer's air.
I hope she still hears laughter floating through the autumn breeze,
and finds comfort within the slowness of winter's snowfalls.
I hope she's still dreaming with her heart wide open,
still finding magic in the mundane,
and approaches the world with the same curiosity we all had as kids.
That same curiosity that was always ready to take on whatever the world had to offer.
I hope everything it has to offer still brings a smile to her face,
and I hope she knows that smile in itself,
is a wonder that makes the world smile right back at her.
I hope she still dances around her room,
plays her music too loud,
and sings to the top of her lungs even louder.
I hope she still laughs at herself more than anything or anyone else,
and that there are tears of joy in her eyes when she does.
I hope she still sees the world through those same eyes,
with awe and wonder,
finding beauty in places and people that are often overlooked.
I hope she's still a friend to all,
a light in the dark,
and a vessel of goodness,
hope,
and love.
I hope that,
even when times are tough,
she steps into the world and remembers
that it's offering her the chance to breathe again.
I hope she's never stopped chasing after joy,
never stopped trying to capture endlessness,
never stopped reaching into the vastness,
because she deserves that pursuit of infinity.
I hope she knows the world is still hers to keep,
and that it's always been a reflection
of the depth of her soul,
which has always been vast,
beautiful,
and free.
I hope she remembers that all of those moments she once tried to capture in pictures,
have already been captured in the depth of her heart,
where they live forever,
looking outwardly,
and always patiently,
at the beauty she's yet to see inwardly.
I hope the girl I fell in love with is still in there,
and that she's laughing,
loving,
living,
and dreaming.
Not for me,
but for her.
She deserves that.
Even though there are days like today when it's all so tangible,
when I can still hear the echo of her laughter,
and feel the joy of her light,
floating in my head,
and filling my heart.
Selfishly,
I want it to be mine to keep and to savour,
but more than anything,
I just hope that it continues to sustain her.
I hope she's everything she's always been,
and more.
She's always been more.
I hope she's still everything,
all at once.
She's always been all of it,
every time,
and she's always had the gift of being effortlessly infinite,
and never just for a singular moment in time.
