There is something you need to know.

You don’t see it right now. But I need you to know—you matter so much more than you realize.

Sure, you roll your eyes at me and think I’m just being nice. You feel uncomfortable, and you think I’m confusing you for someone else. I promise you, I’m not.

I see you, even when you’re exhausted. Even––rather especially––when you feel like you’re not doing enough. I notice how you try to make others feel better, even when you don’t feel that way yourself.

And I want you to hear this clearly…you matter!

Even when you’ve convinced yourself that you’re not that important;
Even when you feel like people wouldn’t miss you;
Even when you think you're replaceable or unremarkable or “just a burden;”
You’re so wrong!

The Unseen Impact of You

I know what people look like when they talk about someone they love. I’ve watched their faces soften, their eyes get teary, their smiles come out and widen. And sometimes, without knowing it, they’re talking about you.

You’re the one they miss when you’re not around. The one whose laugh echoes in their ears. You’re the one who made them feel a little lighter, and more like themselves.

They might not say it often, or at all. Or maybe they say it and you can’t believe it—because you haven’t learned how to believe in yourself, yet. But I believe in you.

I am fortunate enough to witness things most people never see. I get to sit in the quiet, vulnerable moments when somebody’s heart cracks open, spilling with love. I hear their stories—messy, beautiful, heartbreaking—about the ones they’ve loved and lost. And I’m struck, again and again, by how deeply we love others who never believed they were worthy of it.

It’s one of the greatest privileges of my work––holding space for those stories, those memories. Watching someone’s entire face change when they speak about the person who made their life whole. Sometimes it's a best friend, a partner, a sibling. And sometimes, it's someone who never had a clue how much they meant.

I need you to know—that’s how someone feels about you.

People love you in ways you can’t see. But I do.

You may never hear the full story. You may dismiss the compliments or downplay the impact you have. But I see the patterns. I know the truth.

I’ve sat with people who ache for someone like you—someone who never realized how much space they held in another person’s heart. I’ve watched the tears fall as they whisper, “I just wish they knew.”

So let me say it to you now, while you’re here. You are not a burden. You are not too much. You are not broken or beyond repair. You are the way someone lights up when they talk about a moment that mattered.

Butterflies and Smiling Faces

You are the butterflies in a stomach, the lump in a throat, the smiling faces that appear when a memory resurfaces. You are the voice someone hears when they need comfort. You are a reason someone is still trying.

I know it’s hard to hold onto that when your own thoughts feel so heavy. When self-doubt clouds everything. When love feels like it’s something meant for everyone but you. But it’s also meant for you.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to fix everything. You don’t have to “earn” your place in the world. You belong. Exactly as you are. And even if it’s hard for you to believe it right now, I will (always) believe it for you.

Until the day comes when you can hold your head a little higher. When you can feel, even for a moment, the truth of how deeply you are loved. Because you are.

You don’t know how much you matter—but I do. And I’m so glad you still exist.