Blood Floweret

Epilogue

Five Months Later 

Life is a journey.

A journey of valor, a journey of strength, a journey to oneself. Everyone takes the road differently, in their own timing, but if they pursue through all the turns, bumps, and debris, they end up in a beautiful destination. Broken pieces are scattered along the way, some lost to the dark, others found by the light, and only at rock bottom can the true strength of someone be discovered. 

Like an ocean, moving and swaying with the tide, there are always hurricanes that disrupt the pattern, unexpected riptides that disappear into the unknown, and waves viciously attacking the shore to churn up more and more sand. That's why it is so important to learn how to surf the waves, even if there is failure, again and again, eventually, there is a way to coexist with the ocean and let the tide sweep through to reveal new destinations.

Sometimes the waves can be rough, choppy, and crashing with the intent to drown. There will be cuts, bruises and scars from the coral reef beneath slashing through flesh, but it is nothing that cannot heal. As long as the surface is found again, there is always a chance to keep going. To overcome. To survive. And along the way, maybe help a few others struggling to get out of the crash zone. Nobody who falls is incapable of rising again. 

There will always be storms that come through, ripping everything loose and tossing the pieces away, but it's truly incredible to learn how to dance in the rain and rebuild with strength. Even when the world buries someone, they are just a seed that can choose to grow. They can blossom through the dark soil, choosing to take their situation as it is and make it into their strength. 

Nobody ever said the journey would be easy. 

Like the trees that lose their leaves every fall, even change can be breathtakingly beautiful. The trees do not weep for their leaves because they know the leaves will grow back only if they continue to focus on surviving the hard winter. They nurture themselves, focusing on the good, and they make it every year. They change all the time, adapting to their environment.

And the moon, it is never the same. Every night, a new piece of the moon shows its face to the sleeping world. It constantly goes through phases, sometimes as a complete whole and other times only a broken piece that haunts the lonely sky. That doesn't mean the moon is any less of itself because one night, it will blind the earth with its glowing beauty; and it never gives up. Even on the nights when the moon doesn't show--it's always there. 

And he remembered the day they had left. 

There had been tears. Bittersweet and abundant. There had been bone-crushing hugs that lasted an eternity, especially for the little ones who had yet to experience life. There had been words whispered from bleeding hearts but genuine smiles through glossy eyes; because everyone understood. Sometimes, the journey must be taken alone. Sometimes, it is okay to step back and reunite with the roots of oneself. There is no selfishness in loving oneself. There is no shame in making decisions that set the soul on fire. 

There is no reason that life cannot be truly lived. 

He felt less of a whole, missing them on the first day, but letting go doesn't mean forgetting. He will always remember the moments they had shared, the joy they brought, and he knew that they weren't gone forever. Because no matter how hard he tried, he learned that he couldn't hold onto people. He couldn't make people stay, they were free to follow different paths in their life and he wasn't in any place to hold them back.