After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and sharing a life

and you learn that love doesn't mean possession

and company doesn't mean security and loneliness is universal.

And you learn that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises and you begin to accept your defeats

with your head up and your eyes open

with the grace of a woman not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build your hope on today

as the future has a way of falling apart in mid-flight

because tomorrow's ground can be too uncertain for plans

yet, each step taken in a new direction creates a path

toward the promise of a brighter dawn.

And you learn that even sunshine burns

if you get too much

so you plant your own garden and nourish your own soul

instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that love, true love,

always has joys and sorrows, seems ever present,

yet is never quite the same

becoming more than love and less than love

so difficult to define.

And you learn that through it all, you really can endure

that you really are strong,that you do have value

and you learn and grow with every goodbye you learn.