I could see the joy in Patrick’s eyes, the promise of a new beginning after so many years of heartache. Our family felt whole again, in a way I never thought possible. Today, I look around at my family, gathered in our home to celebrate 50 years of a life so much stranger and deeper than I’d ever dreamed.
Friends, family, and laughter fill every corner of the house. There are smiles, stories, and memories shared. As I sit beside Patrick, I feel his hand on mine, steady and strong, and I smile.
It hasn’t been a simple road, not by any means. But together, we made it, through loss, love, and a journey that brought him back to me. And in the end, isn’t that what love is for?
To hold on, even when everything else tells you to let go.
