Everything I know about love, I learned from its absence. Everything I know about nurturing, I learned from what was withheld. A reflection on the hard work of becoming the mother I needed, the pride of staying accountable, and the power of realizing you have become the shelter

She is the seedling split between two stones, straining upward while roots tremble in the dark. A reflection on the heavy silence of protecting those we love and the courage it takes to bloom in the ruins.