You’ll discover that, often,
you’re considered an afterthought
by those you’ve cared for deeply
but you continue to love anyway
This, I have come to believe, is one of the foundational principles of happiness. If we are always wondering if we are loving too much, then we are missing the point of love. We don't love so that we get a return on it. It is a gift to love. There is no way to measure how we are loved, and the act of measuring dilutes the experience of love.
I love my husband, my kids, my brothers and sisters and so many people who are not here anymore. Am I not lucky to be able to love? I hope they love me, but what a wasted exercise to worry about whether they do to the same degree.
Your poem hits a lot of points that resonate.
I agree. My wife and I both struggled with this for many years after the pandemic. So many of our friends stopped reaching out and I think we naturally begin to recognize a lack of reciprocity in friendships as we age. That said, all we can control is our own actions and, as you said, the true gift is to love, not just be loved.