The Things I Keep

I gather the puzzle pieces.

Not the ones he broke...

but the ones we placed together.

Quiet afternoons where silence felt like safety.

🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩.🧩

I gather the songs we sang.

Off-key melodies in the car.

His voice a thread that stitched me to something

I wanted to believe was love.

♬✩⋆｡˚.☆. ‧₊˚ ..🎤︎︎.. ‧₊˚✩⋆｡˚.☆♬

I gather the toys he gave us.

Not the rage that followed...

but the sparkle in my eyes

before I knew how heavy gifts could be.

🧸🦖🚂🚀🎁🕹️🧸🎁🪀🎠🍭🧸🤖

I gather the memory of his hands.

Not when they pointed blame...

but when they held mine to guide a jigsaw edge

into its rightful place.

👏🖐🧩👏👐🧩👐👏🖐🧩👏

I gather the ache of absence.

The years he vanished into the fog of his own mind

and I gather the grace

I tried to give him anyway.

♡♥♡❦❤❦♡♥.+💔+.♥♡❦❤❦♡♥♡

I gather the words he threw

“Not good enough,” 🗣 “Just a mom,” 🗣 “Your husband is a mistake” 🗣

and I let them fall...

like brittle leaves I won’t rake again.

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

I gather my children’s laughter.

The warmth of their trust.

The lessons I teach in the quiet of our home

where love is not withheld or earned.

📚.*✨💕.*.❤️😂🤗😂❤️.*.💕✨*.📚

I gather myself.

Whole and weathered, choosing what to carry forward...

not his shame, not his shadow...

but the light I’ve grown in spite of it.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

This is my harvest.

The moments that made me.

The ones I reclaim.

The ones I keep.

🧩♬🎤︎︎🧸👐♡😂💕🤗✨❤️

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