I put my joy behind yours—
not because mine didn’t matter,
but because yours did.
I dimmed my light at times,
not to vanish,
but to let you shine
when you needed it most.
I sat here in silence,
so your voice could be heard.
I held back tears,
so you could freely smile.
Some say,
“𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒕,”
but what they don’t understand is—
sometimes love sits quietly there,
content in every sacrifice.
For joy, too,
can live and grow in the background—
in the gentle giving,
in the silent strength,
in knowing you helped someone else carry their cross
so they can have the peace they deserve.
—
*image: artem balashevsky / unsplash
