I Do It Anyways

Dear future me, if you can hear this

Remember every road that brought you here.

I came through storms I never learned to name,

Carried old scars like a family name.

Lost in the mirror, asking who am I?

Chasing a reason just to stay and try.

The road went up, then dropped me through the floor.

I built from ashes, then I lost some more.

I learned that purpose isn't something found.

It's something forged when everything falls down.

To the old ones watching from beyond the flame,

To every ancestor who carried on the name.

I hear the north wind calling through the trees,

Reminding me to stand, to bend, to breathe.

To the future, me, don't you forget this fight.

When the dark comes down, you still choose the light.

Do it anyway, when you don't know the way.

Keep moving forward, live another day.

Bailey and Stephanie, if you ever hear my voice,

I'm sorry for the times I failed, I made the choice.

Don't hate me, please try to understand.

Everything I build, I build with you in my hands.

Mom, I'm sorry for the words I never said.

For every empty chair, every memory in my head.

I wish I had more time, I wish I knew back then

How much we'd lose, how much I'd need you again.

And Dad, I'm sorry for the weight I couldn't bear.

For every distance, every moment I wasn't there.

I carry what you gave me, even when I broke.

Some lessons came in silence, some arrived as smoke.

Odin, for the wisdom bought with sacrifice.

Thor, for the strength to stand and pay the price.

Freyja, for the love that survives the grave.

The ancestors whisper: be fierce, be brave.

I've been a thousand versions of myself,

Trying to find a purpose worth the pain.

Maybe meaning isn't waiting on a shelf.

Maybe it's the choice to rise again.

I failed, and that's on me.

No excuses, no rewriting history.

But failure doesn't get the final word.

I'm still here, and I'm still being heard.

Bailey.

Stephanie.

I love you.

I'm so sorry.

Please don't give up.

Keep moving forward.

Do it anyway.

To the future, me, remember what you know.

The strongest roots are planted where the cold winds blow.

Honor the dead, but live for those alive.

Carry every scar and use it to survive.

Bailey and Stephanie, my babies, this is my promise to you.

Every dream I'm building has your names running through.

If I failed you, I won't pretend I didn't.

But love can keep a broken heart committed.

Don't hate the road, don't let the past decide.

Take one more step with your fire still alive.

Do it anyway, when the whole world says you can't.

Keep moving forward, make your life what it can.

To my mother, to my father, to the ones before.

To my daughters, who I love more than words can say.

And to the man I will become—

Make them proud.

Make it mean something.

Keep moving forward.

Do it anyway.