The Hardest Lesson

My walls were built high,

With every stone

Life threw at me.

I thought they were unshakable,

Yet, bit by bit,

You found your way in.

Over time, I let go,

Letting you in a little more.

Before I knew it,

I trusted you ~ completely, blindly.

But then, it happened.

A crack, subtle at first,

A whisper of doubt

That grew into a storm.

At first, I shrugged it off,

Told myself, No, not this time.

A half-truth I half-believed,

Until the truth stood bare.

Like all the others,

You left me unraveling,

A soul laid open,

Only to crash and burn.

Trust…

It’s not for the reckless.

They will teach you

The hardest lesson

And call it love.

Orphaned at 42

I woke up to the reality…

They were both gone.

My safety net, my home,

No longer felt the same.

It was not sudden,

But the realization was.

They meant the world to me,

Mum and Dad,

Endless chats, and disagreements too,

Laughter that echoed through time,

The quiet comfort of knowing

They were always there.

Now, the silence is heavier,

The house feels too big,

Memories stacked in corners,

Where their voices used to live.

I reach for the phone,

For advice I can no longer hear,

For warmth that is now only a memory.

At 42, I am no child,

Yet orphaned, I feel so small.

Grief doesn’t care for age,

Loss doesn’t soften with years.

I stand in the world untethered,

Their love my only compass,

Guiding me forward,

Even from beyond.

When the Illusion Fades

I saw the real you,

Exposed and raw,

Stripped of the masks

That time has drawn.

But the world sees someone else,

A masterpiece of careful design,

A figure sculpted in shadows,

Where truth and illusion intertwine.

No wonder intimacy scares you,

If you get too close, it could cost you.

The walls you’ve built, the lines you’ve traced,

A fortress none dare walk through.

What you see,

That reality,

Is not so pretty,

Draped in whispers of doubt,

A sky heavy with unspoken storms,

With no rainbow in sight,

Only the weight of what was lost.

Max, The Wise and Loyal Friend

Max, our furry confidant, so wise, so true,

With eyes that saw far more than most ever knew.

At Dialog’s halls, he made his place,

Silent, steady, a calming grace.

He had a gift, a rare, keen sight,

To see through the false, to sense what’s right.

No words were needed, just a knowing glance,

He’d sift through the noise, see through the dance.

And when he approved, you’d surely know,

A gentle snuggle, a wag just so.

His way of saying, You’re one of mine,

A bond unspoken, strong and fine.

His heart belonged to the 14th floor,

Where love awaited behind that door.

He’d take the lift, a mission clear,

To find his soul mate, always near.

But now our Max, once bold and bright,

Struggles through an unseen fight.

Not quite himself, a little slow,

Yet in those eyes, that wisdom glows.

Hold on, dear friend, for you are loved,

Spirits strong, souls above.

No matter where this road may bend,

You’ll always be our truest friend. 

Walls and Echoes

I’ve built my walls with shattered trust,

Layered thick with love turned dust.

Once, I believed in forever’s tune,

But promises broke beneath the moon.

A heart once open, now cautious, cold,

Afraid of stories left untold.

For every vow that turned to lies,

Another piece of me just dies.

I’ve loved and lost, I’ve tried, I’ve bled,

Chased dreams that left me hanging thread.

Watched hands I held just slip away,

Too many nights, too much to say.

So now I walk where echoes fade,

No need for love, no debts unpaid.

Not lost, not broken ~ just standing free,

Belonging only to the quiet in me.

Sundays Were Ours

Sundays still whisper your name,

soft and slow, like the way time bent

when the world outside

didn’t matter.

Laughter lingers in the quiet,

shadows of words left unsaid.

Do you ever feel the echo…

or is it only me who listens?

I don’t ask for answers,

only wonder if somewhere,

on a Sunday,

you remember too.

The Daughter Dilemma

Most of us, at some point in our lives, place our parents on a pedestal. As a daughter, I most certainly did that with my dad. He was my hero - larger than life, my protector, my guide, the one person who never made me feel like I was anything less than extraordinary. And whether we realize it or not, as we grow into adulthood, we find ourselves searching for pieces of our dads in the men we allow into our lives.

There is an unspoken expectation, a silent standard set by the way our dads loved us:

• The unwavering protection they gave us, making us feel safe no matter what.

• The way we always held a place of pride in their lives, nothing and no one ever seemed to come before us.

• The way they believed in us, even when we doubted ourselves, standing by our side through every failure and success.

• The knowledge that, in their eyes, we were never too much, never too difficult, and always enough.

• And, most importantly, the unshakeable faith that they would never hurt us - physically, emotionally, or otherwise.

For strong women, this creates an undeniable challenge when it comes to romantic relationships. Because when you’ve been loved so deeply, so unconditionally, and with such consistency, the bar is set impossibly high. It’s not that we compare every man to our dad, it’s that we simply refuse to settle for less than the kind of love we know exists.

So, to the men who step into our lives: understand that this isn’t about being spoiled, demanding, or difficult. It’s about the fact that we’ve already known what it feels like to be cherished. We’ve already experienced what it’s like to be seen, heard, and protected. And if you’re not prepared to show up with the same level of strength, respect, and unwavering love, then don’t expect a place in our world.

The truth is, daughters of great dads don’t need saving. We don’t need fixing. And we certainly don’t need someone to complete us. But we do need someone who measures up. Because we’ve been loved right from the very beginning, and that’s the only kind of love we will ever accept.

Remembering dad 💜 #dad #family #relationship