Before Forever

We started with dreams bigger than what we had, carrying pieces of lives that hadn’t always been kind to us. Some days felt like we were building a future with shaking hands. We were trying to grow, trying to heal, trying to become something better while still learning how to survive the people we used to be. And through all of it, there was you, there was me, and there was Nox—three souls under one roof with no idea what the years ahead would bring.

Sometimes I close my eyes and swear I can see our future like memories that haven’t happened yet. I see us older, further into our careers, finally looking back and realizing we became the people we kept promising each other we would be. I see our son growing into his own person, two more little ones running through the house, and Nox stretched across the floor with gray around his face, still watching over the family he watched us build.

And the world keeps spinning, spinning,

but I still see you.

Through every broken night we had,

somehow our dreams came true.

Little hands and old paw prints,

a love that made it through—

if forever has a picture,

it’s me, Nox, the kids, and you.

I see mornings where my body feels stronger and my mind finally feels quiet. Where the things that used to keep me awake at night don’t have the same power anymore. I see you healthier, happier, still chasing everything you were meant to become. And I see myself beside you—not because either of us stayed the same, but because we gave each other enough room to grow without letting go.

Maybe that’s what forever really is. Not a perfect life. Not never hurting. It’s looking across the room years from now and recognizing the person who stood beside you when nothing was certain. It’s remembering the nights we worried about tomorrow, only to realize that tomorrow eventually became our home.

And the world keeps spinning, spinning,

but I still see you.

Through every broken night we had,

somehow our dreams came true.

Little hands and old paw prints,

a love that made it through—

if forever has a picture,

it’s me, Nox, the kids, and you.

And maybe one day I’ll stand in that house and wish time would slow down. Our babies won’t be babies anymore. Nox won’t run through the halls the way he used to. We’ll have wrinkles from laughing, scars from living, and stories nobody else could completely understand.

And I think that’s when it’ll hit me.

All those days we were begging life to hurry up and get better… were part of the life we were going to miss someday.

So when everything gets quiet, I hope I remember us exactly as we are right now. Before we knew how everything turned out. Before the family grew. Before the careers took off. Before we healed all the things we’re still learning how to heal.

Nico… Nox… thank you for the life we built.

But if I could have one moment back…

Take me back to where forever started.

Take me back to the three of us.