Life is not a fairy tale.

Wishes don’t come true on command.

Princes don’t show up on cue.

Happy endings aren’t guaranteed.

And singing animals don’t flock

About princesses in captivity.

 

Life—real life—is messy and broken.

Sometimes you’re weeping into your pillow,

Staring out the window at bleak prospects,

Praying the same tired prayers day after day.

 

But even though life may not be

A rose-colored fairy tale,

Would you still want to share it with me?

Would you still be willing to love

The messy and broken that is me?

 

Because even though it’s not perfect,

Together we might make it

A little more joyful,

A little more hopeful,

A little more beautiful.

 

Dreams might not come true—

At least not the way we expected them to.

But what if you are the dream

I never expected,

But needed more than anything else?

 

We know it won’t be easy,

But at least we’ll be able

To grab each other’s hand in the dark

And know we’re not alone

Through all the tears and heartache.

 

And there will be enough

Joy-filled moments

That chase away the gloom

And light up our world with sunshine—

 

That it will make

All the dark days worth it.

Because we had not perfection,

But beautifully broken shards of grace

Crafted together

Into a mosaic of glimmering hope.

 

 

Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash.