Her quiet comments you have to listen to hear
Her excitement over the last chapter
Her hugs she gives when I need them most
Her patience when I need someone to listen
Her acceptance of who she is
Her ability to know exactly what I need
Her understanding of my craziness
Her encouragement when I try my best
Her advice when things don't work out
I hope she knows how much she is loved.

It is the smell of a salty beach,
And the smell of jasmine and perfume
It sounds like an orchestra
Full of perfectly tuned violins,
And waves crashing up on the beach
It feels like a cold wind
That makes you pull you coat tight around your face
It feels like a smooth stone in your hand
With a polished surface to run your fingers over
It tastes like coconut water,
sweet, cool, and fresh
It is the almost clear ocean on the beaches in Hawaii
It is turquoise.

Sunflowers are perfect
Their crisp evenly patterned,
brightly colored petals
and the long, strong stalks.
But there is also the darker side
the center of seeds
the layers and layers of spiraling, dark black seeds
that other animals feed off of.
but no one pays attention to the black part
everyone looks at the yellow, the happy
because that's the part the flower shows off
and the part that everyone looks at.
And why pay attention to something that makes you sad?

You're what I never knew I needed.
You're a light in the dark
Though you say you're the one
who turned out the lights.
You're my driftwood
Keeping me floating in a hurricane.
You're the one who makes it
So I can write this without thinking
Because I want you to know how I feel
And I know you won't judge
You're the person
Who makes me feel like I matter
A shoulder willing to squat
for me to cry on.
You matter.
You always matter.
You are beautiful.
You are what I never knew I needed.

I used to hide my sadness,
Now I don’t have any
I used to be tense all the time,
Now I am relaxed
I used to be a dreamer,
Now I am a doer
I used to rush through things,
Now I enjoy every moment
I used to surround myself with people,
Now I have true friends
I used to be self-conscious,
Now I don’t care what they think
I used to choose my favorite color
Now I choose the rainbow
I used to stand in the spotlight,
Now I help others getting ready backstage
I used to be perfect,
Now I am not.