To my dear, sweet angels,

Where do I begin?

 

Our story commences in 2014,

A confusing time lapse filled with muddled memories.

An amalgamation of tears and labored breaths and chest pangs.

A frightened little girl cowers in the corner,

Scrambling to gain some kind of footing

In this nightmare of a life.

 

She begs for a sweet release

From the claws that hold her hostage

In a vice-like grip, siphoning her last claims to life.

 

That is, until, the sweet bells of a miracle

Accompanied by the warmth of a protective embrace

Swaddle her up

And deliver her to a paradise,

An Elysium of sorts,

One she has never known before.

 

A heart once hardened and turned black

Begins to soften and regain its form.

A mind once enslaved within confines it set for itself

Thrives, free from its deteriorated chains.

A shell of a soul, a ghost of a body,

Begins to reclaim its substance.

 

Flowers begin to bloom in a once deserted place

And I begin to feel again.

And I begin to live again.

 

I ask myself,

How is this so?

In my darkest hours,

I had asked God for someone to love

And he gave me all of you.

All of you, who take up every inch of my heart.

 

I have since learned

That love is a liberator.

Love nurtures the soul,

Mends the heart,

And lifts the blinds from eyes that

Have been cursed with eternal midnight.

 

I am loved.

I am protected.

I am safe.

But I am not invincible.

 

That little girl from years ago

Comes to visit me from time to time.

She pulls my hair

And tugs at my skin,

Trying to crawl her way

Back in.

 

But whereas I would rather succumb to her methods,

You smile, pat her on the head,

And whisper soothing comforts to her

Until she giggles and disappears.

 

This is how I find peace.

This is how I gain strength.

This is how I move on.

 

To the greatest blessings I have ever received,

To the guardians who protect me each and every day,

To the angels who saved my life,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.