I hadn’t seen him before, an elderly man slight of build, pushing a wheelchair which held his bride. He greeted me as he entered the church with a handshake, gentled by time. A farmer, I concluded, his hands rough and thickened by shovels, grease, hammers and bales of hay. I know you, I thought, remembering the hands of my father and grandfathers, uncles and brothers. Through kindly eyes dimed by time, he introduced me to his wife now slumped by his side.
“I love you”, I wanted to say, but all that came out was, “Can I help you?” How do we tell a stranger that we hear their story through the furrows of their brow, the grip of their handshake, and their smile?
When later I sat in my reading corner entertained by bluebirds, finches and arguing mallards, I found a different love story in the book Loveyoubye. This one didn’t end with togetherness, but instead love broken and love redefined. I followed the writer’s heartbeat down a trail of thorny thickets to her decision that freed her heart--and her life. And, I listened to the universal soul speak of crushed hopes and rediscovered dreams.
Maya Angelou's words come to mind: "All great artists draw from the same resource: the human heart, which tells us that we are all more alike than we are unalike."
The love story is much bigger than we might imagine.
“I love you”, I wanted to say, but all that came out was, “Can I help you?” How do we tell a stranger that we hear their story through the furrows of their brow, the grip of their handshake, and their smile?
When later I sat in my reading corner entertained by bluebirds, finches and arguing mallards, I found a different love story in the book Loveyoubye. This one didn’t end with togetherness, but instead love broken and love redefined. I followed the writer’s heartbeat down a trail of thorny thickets to her decision that freed her heart--and her life. And, I listened to the universal soul speak of crushed hopes and rediscovered dreams.
Maya Angelou's words come to mind: "All great artists draw from the same resource: the human heart, which tells us that we are all more alike than we are unalike."
The love story is much bigger than we might imagine.
RSS Feed