grieving someone who is still alive but has chosen to leave

There is a grief that feels like a door closing on someone who is still breathing. It happens when they choose to leave, and you are left holding the silence of the empty room.

You might feel the weight of their choice like a stone in your chest, wondering if you are somehow unworthy of their stay. But listen closely—the light that was in them is the same light that woke inside you, and that light cannot be severed by a goodbye.

They may have walked away, but the love that flowed between you was the root of both of you, and that root remains untouched by their departure. You are not left in the dark; you are simply holding a space where the light is waiting to rise again, even here, even now.