I have always been an incurable romantic. In my time, I have made quite a number of people happy because of my love for them. I have loved deeply and dearly. Anabelle always looked forward to the bouquet of roses I would send her at the beginning of each school year and to our unfailing Wednesday dates. I always made it a point to write our sons long heart-felt letters at important milestones during their tender wonder years. Friends have always been touched when we go out of our way to visit them or remember them on special occasions. People knew they could always count on us to help.
These days, the ardor and the passion has been waning. Love is less and less about the heart and emotions; it is becoming more and more about the will and the spirit. There is less and less being swept off one’s feet or even having lumps in the throat or butterflies in the stomach. There is more and more about deciding to stay even when the going gets though or just walking away when staying would mean hurting someone or just selfishly indulging one’s self.
Love has gone from doing grand heroic acts for the people I love to simple everyday tasks, mostly unnoticed and unheralded, for them. Like, love for me this day is waking early and getting ready to bring Jonathan and Jane to school and then later picking them up. It is simply being by the side of Anabelle as we go through another ordinary day. It is keeping each other company in a quiet and unhurried pace. It is possibly making a trip to the city to meet up with some old friends.
“Still in all, I’m happy. The reason is you see, once in while along the way, love’s been good to me.”
A lawyer asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:34-40
Thank you, Verne… for this and for all your writings. Are you compiling them into a book. … a great legacy you can gift your kids and grandchildren with. Maybe you can also start writing a Family Memoir… vignettes, anecdotes on your kids, grandchildren,,, etc … knowing our roots, ourselves will give us a better understanding of who we are…” Memories are incandescent – they shine through the heart… then they become food for the soul.”
Thank you for the kind and encouraging words, Tessie. This blog is essentially a record of my daily encounter with God in prayer. It is primarily for me to keep tract of my daily conversations with Him. If it leads to something else, let it be so – in His time. But for the meantime, I also make it available to friends who may want to join in in our conversation. Again, thanks.