Psssst. Read Part 1 here.

Dedicated to my dear husband as we move past the newlywed phase. Our love continues to be the brightest part of my life.

This love is…

Secure.

Do you know what it’s like to feel so safe you can give up your insecurities?

A love so safe you can admit secrets you didn’t know you had.

So secure you can thrive in your flaws.

Be all—or nothing—you want to be.

Relief.

Recount the times you’ve felt the rush of reassurance.

I’ve always thought it to be the sweetest emotion. That feeling of letting go,

Relieving yourself of the anxiety you created.

Relief that the wait, the wonder, the uncertainty, is over.

Slow.

Often, the best parts of life are slow;

The changing tide.

Waiting for a tree to grow.

Hoping for summer in the dead of winter.

Certain.

To the fullest extent—“established without doubt.”

Not a moment, an instant, is there a passing question.

Matchless to any prior comprehension of a soul mate.

This love is…

Knowing you can fall, you can fail.

Knowing in the deepest part of your soul that there is protection wherever you land.

Being respected, supported, and lifted up.

Forgetting what desperation, heartbreak, and jealousy even feel like.

Never feeling, or being, forgotten.

Like the sun rising every morning. Dependable.

Flowers on a Tuesday, just because.

Never yearning for affection because it is given so freely.

A book with a story so entrancing you never want it to end.

A love that feels like hidden treasure, of a secret that no one else knows.

A house that is a refuge from the world.

Laughs that echo off the walls, peace that seals out the pain.

I hope one day when love finds you that you recognize it.

That you see past your mirror of cynicism. Your old wounds and walls built from betrayal.

Do not settle, for I am telling you love does not doubt. Love shows up. At every turn, each day, and even when it isn’t asked to. Love is reliable. It is stronger than your fear.

It does not compare to others.

It is a superiority so distinct you may dismiss its worthiness for ingenuine.

But it will not simply fade away. Because love really is patient. It does not ask for more while giving less. It does not compete. It does not tear down. It does not ask for risk or sacrifice.

This love asks only that you are ready to receive. That you are open and you are whole.

I hope one day this resonates so deep in your being that you smile and breathe your own sigh of understanding.

Until then, the love you seek is waiting. It’s warming you each day, the sun rising, and every evening, illuminated by the moon. It whispers in the wind. Take comfort in knowing the love you desire, you deserve, exists.

Your love is out there, and it is worth waiting for.