A thunderous storm cloud on the horizon it loomed:
The day when I would have to say goodbye to him and his family,
A family so much a part of me it felt as if they were my own

The storm cloud neared, and lightning began to pierce my heart
I was unfamiliar with this sensation, with him as the storm
He had always been a ray of sunshine in my life

What would I do without seeing his brilliant smile everyday
Without his kind heart, his unconditional love, his assurance that I was always enough
Without his whip-smart humor, his contagious laugh, his mop of curls

I felt as if I was losing him and his smile, maybe for good
As if the sun might never warm me with its rays again
But I had forgotten that the sun still shines when it can't be seen, even when it's on the other side of the nation

And so he left to shine his light on another part of the world, but I always remembered how bright he burned
He illuminated my life from afar, and when he returned, he seemed to shine even brighter than before