Lessons on Letting Go

I learned about losing long before I knew why,

Watchin’ someone I loved fade out of sight.

No warning, no goodbye, just a window view—

A small heart breaking in a world brand new.

And ever since then, I’ve carried change like a weight,

Holdin’ on too long, always learnin’ too late.

As I grew older, loss kept knockin’ again—

Friends who shifted, and the ones I couldn’t mend.

Some vanished in the fire, some slipped through the cracks,

Some lovers walked away without lookin’ back.

So I learned to make a home in the ache,

’Cause sometimes pain is the one thing that doesn’t break.

And every old version of me

I should’ve left behind

Stayed longer than it ought to—

Lord knows I tried.

But life’s a long road of letting go,

Of people you lose and the folks you outgrow.

Of stories that end before you want them to,

Of dreams that fade but somehow shape you.

And though I won’t walk beside you

On the path you’re headed down,

Take the lessons that I bled for

When the world comes back around.

’Cause letting go ain’t weakness—

It’s the bravest thing I know.

You’re standing on the edge of a brand-new life,

Shedding old skin, stepping out of the night.

And one day you’ll meet a stranger in the glass—

A man who has outgrown the years that passed.

I won’t be there to help you through

So I’ll leave you the truths

That carried me too:

Keep moving.

Stay close to your mother.

Take pictures with your son—

Let him know you were there.

Don’t go searching for old ghosts in dark places.

Choose loyal people.

Be kind. Be proud.

Grow something.

Keep your word.

Help others.

Let money be a tool, not a savior.

Wake early.

Read often.

Respect yourself.

Respect the one you love.

Be the man your father and your son

Would always be proud of.

Yeah, life’s a long road of letting go,

And some goodbyes cut deep and slow.

But every old chapter makes room for the new,

And the man you’re becoming is waiting for you.

I loved you through a chapter,

But it’s time for both of us to grow.

Take every word I’m saying

As your lantern for the road—

’Cause learning how to lose

Is how we learn to hold,

And letting go…

is how we grow.

So here’s to every version of you

You haven’t met yet—

You’re gonna rise,

You always do.