To My Stepfather Who Was Always There

“No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater…The love we have for each other is bigger than these small differences. And that’s the key. It’s like a big pie chart, and the love in a relationship has to be the biggest piece. Love can make up for a lot.” ?Sarah Dessen

You’re the only man who deserves my mom.

So many men fall in love, yet don’t fight for it, don’t make an effort for it. They get selfish, lazy, they focus on the negative, make excuses for why they stop fighting for it. 

But you never let any circumstance ruin this — this true love for mom and this unconditional love for me.

Every day I see how you look at mom — you look at her like every woman should be looked at by the man that she loves. I can see how much you appreciate her — how you feel her love, her beauty, and her genuineness that can’t be replaced. 

I see the way you look at her and it makes me believe in lasting relationships again.

You choose mom every day.

You remain loyal when things aren’t working in that moment, when you fall on hard times, when you struggle or when there’s doubt. 

You choose her every day. I can see in your eyes that you would never desert mom. That you would never leave her alone in any way, that you choose her fully. 

But I not only see your love when you look at her, I see the actual execution, the showing up for her.

Because love is making an effort for it when you’ve found it, and you focus on the everyday gifts she brings to your life: strength, humor, beauty, love, laughter.