ALSO BY COURTNEY PEPPERNELL Pillow Thoughts The Road Between Keeping Long Island Chasing Paper Cranes Acknowledgments I would like to thank my support system—James, Emma, Rhian, my family, my pups Hero and Dakota, Kirsty Melville, Patty Rice, and the team at Andrews McMeel Publishing for believing in me and helping to bring my words to life. I believe we are always right where we are meant to be, so it’s an honor to have amazing people be a part of this journey. Twitter: @CourtPeppernell Instagram: @Courtneypeppernell Email:
[email protected] Before we begin, I’d like to remind you of a story. Once upon a time, there was a jellyfish called You. You had been lost You had been a little unsure You tried very hard and You began to heal. Now You must remind others that sometimes hearts ache. I hate to spoil the ending But You can heal hearts. Table of Thoughts If your heart is in love If your heart is aching If your heart is missing someone If your heart is happy These are for your heart If your heart is in love Love is all around us. It’s in flowers and sunsets, it’s the whisper in trees, the breath of a newborn child. It’s two teenage lovers, free and wild. Love is a mountain, a river, a hand to hold, it’s courageous, fierce, honest, and bold. It’s a shoulder when you weep, a blanket when you sleep. It is family, it is strength, it is faith. Love has no boundaries, no gender, love just exists. You shouldn’t lose sleep over somebody any more than they should lose sleep over you. But you do, we all do. And we call this love. Jealousy will be a part of every relationship. You cannot run from it because it will always exist. But do talk about it; your feelings are valid and shouldn’t be dismissed. You have every right to love your solitude Being alone doesn’t always mean you are lonely I am a solar system with crashing comets and star clusters And in all my pieces she exists I can feel her so strongly it’s like I am not even me anymore Like all my pieces belong to her I know life isn’t always about bright colors and fireworks. Sometimes the colors aren’t always clear, and our days get so hard they hurt. But settle down with me, hold my hand, let me kiss you. All I want is to know you more. Better than anyone else has before. Love won’t always give you the answers you are looking for. But you need to come to peace with it anyway. Even if you never know why, even if after everything, it was easier to say goodbye. I spend half the morning thinking about your phone call, and when we were up all night talking. How I felt the effect of your words on my heart. I lie in bed and I think of you. I know you come with baggage, but so do I. I know you’re scared because of how others treated you. But as the sun rises and sets, I’m falling in love with all the things you do. A Wedding Gift I know two people and they are in love. He is charming and tall, she is beautiful and strong. Together I wish them happiness, to last a lifetime that is long. I wish them all the good things in life that remind them to be humble and kind. I wish them success and adventures and to leave all their troubles behind. Dearest friends, may you today be man and wife and live with love for the rest of your life. Sometimes the smallest details about a person are the biggest reasons why you love them Hold on to your love if she is good and pure Keep her close and if you dream of her if you are a magnet to her touch tell her how in love you are You can’t choose which parts of her you love. Even in all the ugly moments, she should still be the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with. People are not perfect, they have fl