Loving By Letting Go

To Let Go does not mean I stop caring for you.
It means a new form of trying is to let you be.
To Let Go does not mean I abandon you,
It means I realize I can't control you.
To Let Go does not mean letting you take advantage,
It means I allow you to learn through natural consequences.
To Let Go does not mean piloting alternatives for you,
It means I hope you choose to affect your own destiny.

To Let Go is to admit powerlessness
Which means the outcome is not in my hands.
To Let Go is not to change or blame you.
It's to make the most of myself.
To Let Go is not to take care of your feelings,
It's to care about how you feel.
To Let Go is not to fix or judge you,
It's to support and accept you.

To Let Go does not mean I shelter you from truth,
It means I offer you experience and growth.
To Let Go does not mean I regret the past,
It means I grow and live for the future.
To Let Go does not mean I criticize or regulate you,
It means letting us both become what we dream we can be.
To Let Go is to fear less and love more.

To Let Go might be the only way to love.

(Revised and Edited by Sera Johnson, originally credited to Barbra Layton)