If You Could Only See What I See

You stand there, shoulders heavy with the world
as if you're supposed to carry it all and never complain.
But I see you.....
not the version you pick apart in the mirror,
or the one you measure against impossible standards.

I see the man who gets up every day and keeps going,
even when doubt rides your back like a shadow.
You think you fall short.
But to me?
You stand taller than anyone I know.

You are smart - 
not just book smart, but wise.
You read situations, danger, and hope
with a kind of instinct I trust with my life.
You walk into a room and know what needs fixing.
You walk into my pain and know what needs holding.

You are strong - 
not just in the way you lift, push, build,
but in the way you carry pain
without passing it on.
In the way you protect,
even when you're unsure of your own footing.

You are protecting - 
in the quiet way you lock the door without being asked,
in the loud way you speak up when something isn't right.
In every look you give me when I’m not okay - 
you’re already calculating how to make it better.
And most of the time? You do.
You always try. That matters more than you know.

Yesterday, I hugged you
and I meant every tear that came with it.
I said,
"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."
And I meant it with my whole heart.

Because you see flaws.
I see fire.
You see failure.
I see fight.
You see a man not measuring up.
I see the man I would choose again and again
in every lifetime.

You are not small.
You are not weak.
You are not broken.

You are the man I lean on,
believe in,
brag about.
You are the man our kids talk about with joy in their eyes.
You are the reason this home feels safe.

So the next time you question your worth,
borrow my eyes.
Borrow my love.
Because I see the truth of you,
and it's so much bigger
than whatever lie the world
....or your inner critic.....told you.