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My dearest little princess,

Today wasn’t just your birthday. It was a quiet reminder of how truly special you are. Not because of any big celebration, but because of the gentle, beautiful way you move through the world.

You never ask for much. You’re never loud. Yet somehow, you leave the biggest mark on everyone’s heart.

Since you were little, barely 3 or 4 yr-old, your teachers have told me how kind and brave you are. How you stand up for friends, speak up when something’s wrong, and always choose what’s right without anyone asking. That’s not just courage. It’s a strength that comes from knowing exactly who you are. And you, my sweet girl, have always known.

Today, you didn’t want a party. You just wanted time with Mummy and the people you love. When your godsister offered you a shiny new iPad, you smiled and said it was too expensive. Instead, you chose a soft pink bunny. Something simple. Something that feels like home.

That moment stayed with me. You could’ve had anything, but you picked what makes you feel safe and warm. That’s why you’re my dandelion - gentle yet strong, sweet yet steady. You don’t need to shout to shine. You just do, in your own quiet, natural way.

Tonight, in our home, the one we built together 5 years ago, I’m surrounded by the scent of the yellow jasmine flowers we planted in your serenity garden. I see us laughing as we painted your room, laying rocks, and tucking those flowers into the earth side by side. As you hugged me tight before falling asleep, clutching that bunny and whispering, “Thank you, Mummy, for the best birthday ever,” my heart swelled. I hope you feel how loved you are. By Mummy, Papa, your aunties and uncles, your brother and sister, some tied by blood, others by heart, but all of us wrapped around you, loving you for being you.

Happy 9th birthday, our little princess. You are everything good in this world, and you are loved more than you can ever know.

With all my heart,
Mummy, Mid-April, 2025

If that day ever comes
when my memory fades,
when names slip through my fingers like sand,
and the world feels just a little dimmer,
please don’t be sad…
Just stay.

Not to fix what time has softened,
but to remind me of everything that once made my heart full.

Sit close, the way you always do,
where I can feel your warmth before I hear your voice.
Wrap your arms around me the way you did when I couldn’t sleep.
Rest your forehead against mine,
and somewhere deep inside,
my heart will still know the rhythm of yours.

Let your touch be my memory.
Let your voice be the thread that pulls me gently back.
Because even if my mind forgets,
my body will still know how it feels to rest against yours.
And my heart,
my heart will always know the man who never let go,
even when I slipped away.

Your arms will remind me
I belonged to a man who would’ve moved heaven to keep me safe,
that I was your home, and you were mine.

Tell me again how you always found me,
even when I didn’t know I was lost.
Remind me who I was, not with timelines or titles,
but through the way you looked at me,
like I was the only thing that ever mattered.
The way I went quiet when overwhelmed,
and how you always just held me in silence,
no words needed.
How you’d pull me close when the world felt too loud,
until everything felt small again, just us.

Tell me how you stayed,
even when I pushed, even when I broke,
even when I tried to hide behind silence.
How you whispered “I’ve got you”
when I forgot how to hold myself together.

Remind me how we built a life out of nothing but love,
how we built a home together,
one full of warmth and laughter and quiet little moments no one else saw.
How even on the worst days,
we still found our way back to each other.

Show me not just the photos in albums,
but the ones you carry in your heart—
me dozing off on the couch with a book still open,
you watching from the doorway
like I was all you ever needed.

Tell me how we danced in the kitchen
while soup simmered on the stove.
How your coat always smelled like wind and safety.
Tell me again about the little notes I left in your suit pockets,
the ones you kept, even after the ink faded.
How you knew my favorite tea,
even when I forgot to drink it.

Tell me how you saw the parts of me I was too afraid to show.
How I used to blush when you looked at me like I was your entire world.
Remind me of the quiet rituals,
the kiss on my forehead before sleep,
the way you tied my scarf when it was too cold to think.

Show me the photos of our little girl,
her laughter folded into the corners of those prints.
Tell me about the mornings she climbed into our bed,
how you tucked her between us
like we were the world she belonged to.
Even if I no longer remember she calls me “Mummy,”
remind me how deeply I loved her,
and how fiercely you protected the family we made.

And if I forget why my chest feels heavy,
why certain songs bring tears,
why some sunsets make me pause,
just hold me.

If I forget who I am,
remind me that I was yours.
That I loved you more than words ever learned how to say.
That I chose you, again and again,
even when I was tired, even when life got messy.
Even if time takes everything,
it will never take the part of me that belongs to you.

You were never just my husband,
you were my compass, my shelter,
my breath when I had none.
You promised you’d carry me if I couldn’t walk,
so carry my memory if I can’t hold it.

If my eyes no longer recognize the mirror,
they’ll still find home in you.
Even if I forget everything else,
my body will still lean into you like it always did.
My breath will still steady in your arms.
My heart will still quiet when your hand finds mine.

And if my eyes no longer recognize you,
my soul still will.
Because love like ours doesn’t vanish.
It lingers in quiet, in knowing,
in the rhythm of us.

You were my heart’s greatest peace.
And in some part of me,
I will always find my way back to you.

So if that day comes,
don’t ask me to remember.
Just love me the way you always have.
And somewhere inside,
I will know you.
You were my always.

And when I’m no longer able to say it,
you’ll know I meant every moment,
every heartbeat,
every “I love you.”
Still.

If that day comes… ❤️

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