You were there

For every high and every low

Every mountain top, crisp cool breeze and 1st-place finish

Every darkened valley, tumble, stench and wound

Every morning on the porch sipping orange juice and listening to the birds sing

Every late night of humiliation, hatred, anger, and sleepless conviction

Every win

Every fail

You were there

Through every tossing sea, rolling wave and storm cloud

Every clear blue sky, sandy beach and safe warm embrace

Every tear, sob and grief

Every laugh and hyperventilated guffaw

Every tearful joy

Every joyful tear

Every headache, knee-buckling and minor laceration

Every soothing, healing mist

You were there

In every still small voice as it whispered softly on the warm whisps of wind

In every crackling peal of thunder as it split the sky in noise and colour

In every chuckle

In every shame

In every minute

hour

day

week

month

year

and decade

In every moment

instant

breath

heartbeat

You were there

When I fell off my bike and scraped all the skin off both my knees and hobbled bleeding back to the campsite

When I fell on my knees at 3am convinced there was no way out of my shame and self-loathing

When I watched the rain fall on my left and not on my right and was reminded of Your hands

When I stood in a storm while the drops from heaven mingled with my own hot and salty ones and ran, diluted and washed, to the ground

You

Were

There

You were always there.