To my wife,
My beautiful wife. You never cease to amaze me. Not only are you beautiful, but you’re so incredibly smart. You’re talented at whatever you want to do, you have so much potential.
Speaking of potential, that’s all I offered you when we met. All I had was the shell of a man who could either be really great or really awful. You saved me from the awful path and showed me what I was capable of.
You made me believe in myself again. After years of self doubt and self indulgence, you somehow made me see what I was capable of. You made me realize what my true worth was. You took this wild bipolar mind and tamed it.
Even with no training or experience in dealing with someone with a mental illness intimately, you never gave up on me. You stuck by my side through my lows and helped me to celebrate my highs. You taught me how to love myself.
I’m not without my flaws, however. I can be short-tempered, and I can be two different people within minutes. You stand by me every time. I know it’s hard, but I appreciate you so much.
Your constant love for me helps rid my mind of those scary thoughts that wander in from time to time. It shows me the light on the stormy nights. It gives me hope.
Your simple touch can soothe the harshest of panic attacks. I don’t know how you do it, but you do. I feel it coming on and I clench my fist, but you reach out and gently rub my back. It brings me down before I can go off the deep end.
I love the way your voice sounds, but especially your laugh. Those two sounds are some of the happiest sounds I’ve ever heard. Your voice soothes the restlessness in my mind. Your voice makes me feel safe.
You know what to say and how to say it when I’m having a bad day. You stay positive for me on those days and serve as my rock. I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know. It adds a glimpse of sunshine on my cloudy day.
You don’t treat me like I’m crazy. I’m a normal person to you. I’m not my mental illness when you speak to me. You see me for who I am and love me for every piece of me.
I just can’t thank you enough for always being there. For the way you smile at me, the way you listen to me, the way you talk to me, the way you love me.
Love always,
Tyler