I used to think strength meant holding everything in

 I used to think strength meant holding everything in.

Never crying. Never breaking.
But losing you taught me the truth.

Strength is tears that fall freely.
Strength is reaching out when someone else is hurting.
Strength is compassion.

When I see a dog waiting in a shelter, I think of you.
When I hear a cry for help, I feel you nudging me forward.
And when I choose kindness—especially when it isn’t easy—
I know I am carrying your legacy.

Because the love you gave me wasn’t meant to stop with me.
It was meant to flow outward.
To heal. To comfort. To protect.

So yes, grief has broken me.
But it has also remade me.
And now I understand—
compassion is our true strength.

And it is the gift you left me,
to carry until we meet again