When I Met You I Became Brave
by Valerie Parente
When I met you I became brave
I became someone who moves forward
even though they’re afraid.
It’s not an absence of fear
it’s just fear with a name
because my world became whole
and now that I know the stakes
I choose to live in spite of the fear
I choose to keep going anyway.
And that, to me, is what it means to be brave,
to be someone who looks forward
to the next day.
– Valerie Parente (8-29-2026)
If You Remember Anything, Remember This by Valerie Parente
The day that taught you
what true bravery was
the day that gave you
3,000 guardian angels above
the day that made you
feel the weight of all your love.
The day that lingering question,
what is the meaning of life?
had one prevalent answer,
and it was to love in your limited timeline.
Because in the midst of unimaginable horror
you saw consciousness in its greatest honor
to be capable of love and recognize it in another
to remember that this is all that matters.
– Valerie Parente (9-12-2021)
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