Stephen’s Story

Our wee brother Stephen,
Hate is heavy.
Heavier than people admit.
We carried it for you
when we thought anger
was the only way to protect what we loved.

We were siblings—
we fought, we argued, we fell out,
said things we didn’t mean
and meant things we didn’t know how to say.
But nothing—and we mean nothing —
can erase what we grew up through,
what we survived side by side,
what we overcame together.

That history is ours.
Untouchable.

We don’t know if we always did you proud.
We let our hate rise to the surface,
let it speak louder than our softness.
But understand this—
a big sister’s love is constant.
It doesn’t pause.
It doesn’t fade.
And the instinct to protect you
never, ever goes away.

Even now.

If our anger came from anywhere,
it came from loving you
in a world that kept trying to harm you.
From watching you hurt
and not being able to stop it.

You carried more than anyone saw.
You kept going
while people tested how much pain
you could survive.
They mistook your heart
for something they could step on.

We saw you try.
We saw you get back up
when it would’ve been easier
to stay down.
That mattered.
YOU mattered.

We’re sorry they hurt you.
We’re sorry they failed you
over and over again.
The ones who speak your name now,
loud and performative—
they weren’t there when you were alive.
They don’t get to claim you.
They were nobodies then,
and time will make sure
they stay that way.

You don’t have to fight anymore.
You don’t have to prove anything.
No more hands pulling you under,
no more voices telling you
you weren’t enough.

You’re at peace now.
And we are still here,
carrying you forward.

We promise you this—
every last wish you had,
every hope you spoke out loud
or kept quietly to yourself,
We will honor.
We will finish what you couldn’t.
We will make sure your life
meant something loud,
something lasting,
something true.

Rest now, our wee bro .
You don’t have to fight anymore.

We’ve got you from here.
Martine & Danielle