To my daughter, on the day you would have been three

The ocean remind me of you, the sunrise and sunsets, when the sky is pink I think of you, the reality is that every day I think of you.

Nothing about you went as planned. Broken, yes, even in ways I could have never imagined. Even today, on the day you would have turned three, I wish you were here, but I’m deeply grateful to have had you. We remember the day you were born, our only day with you. You changed us. But still, with each sunset I think of you. Your absence is always here and yet, it’s your absence that has created space for something more. Your void unraveled me in the best of ways, and I don’t want to go back to who I was.

Five months with you was not enough. Trusting in God’s timing was challenging at times, there were moments I felt lost and unseen. Yet, through it all, we never stopped believing. Years later, God blessed us with two beautiful daughters, and at times when I look at them, I find myself wondering who you might have been.

I thank God daily for the privilege of being their mom and yours. Your life, though brief, changed me in ways I never expected. It shaped my heart, my outlook, and my faith in profound ways. You will always be a part of me, I will carry you with me always.

My Maia, I hope you know how deeply you’re loved and that what you gave us lives on.

Everything about you is a gift. And I am forever grateful to be your mom.

Happy birthday, my sweet Maia.

xoxo to heaven.