While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon,
I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people
talk about — the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one
occurred a mere two feet away from me.
.
Straining to locate my
friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a
man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to
me to greet his family.
.
First he motioned to his youngest son
(maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a
long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other’s face,
I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so
much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes and replied
softly, “Me, too, Dad!”
.
Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes
of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his son’s face
in his hands said, “You’re already quite the young man. I love you very
much, Zach!” They too hugged a most loving, tender hug.
.
While this
was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half) was
squirming excitedly in her mother’s arms, never once taking her little
eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, “Hi,
baby girl!” as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly
kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while
rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and
simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.
.
After
several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared,
“I’ve saved the best for last!” and proceeded to give his wife the
longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her
eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed. “I love you so
much!” They stared at each others eyes, beaming big smiles at one
another, while holding both hands.
.
For an instant they reminded me
of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t
possibly be. I puzzled about it for a moment then realized how totally
engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more
than an arm’s length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I
was invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice
nervously ask, “Wow! How long have you two been married?
.
“Been
together fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” he replied,
without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well then, how
long have you been away?” I asked. The man finally turned and looked at
me, still beaming his joyous smile. “Two whole days!”
.
Two days? I
was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he’d been
gone for at least several weeks – if not months. I know my expression
betrayed me.
.
I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion
with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my
friend), “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve
years!”
.
The man suddenly stopped smiling.
.
He looked me
straight in the eye, and with forcefulness that burned right into my
soul, he told me something that left me a different person. He told me,
“Don’t hope, friend… decide!” Then he flashed me his wonderful smile
again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”
.
- By Michael D. Hargrove
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's a Tuesday night, I'm sipping on a tasty stout, watching what I
believe will be a cheezy B flick horror movie, feeling more than a bit melancholy. I like this short story (above) and feel that it's true (that's why I chose to share it with you), but if you
really know me you may understand when I say that the concept presented in this simple story is something that I am still working on; something that I
still struggle with, especially with my close relationships.
All
of my life I have been a free spirit, a ronin in pretty much
everything, including my personal life. As I continue to get
older this aspect of my personality continues to change. I don't really have many regrets in my life, it's been really quite an extraordinary ride so far, however I do feel myself changing as time marches on. I am beginning to look at things a little differently, however seasons change not overnight but over time.
Some days I remember more than others. Like you, some days I hurt more than others. I am grateful for those people in my life present, past and future. Thank you to everyone who has walked in front of, behind or beside me during some part of my journey. I am especially thankful for those who carried me when I could not walk on my own. I know I'm not always the easiest person to be a friend (or more) with, but I continue to do my best as much as I can in the moments that I have.
A good friend of mine has told me on numerous occasions that
"commitment is easier, because once you commit you know what to do, the rest are just details." Who knows, he may be right. If you liked this story I shared, then you'll probably agree his words may have hit the nail on the head.
(Please don't tell him though, his head is already big enough, he really doesn't need any more encouragement in that department!).
Decide to be grateful for those people in your life that make it what it is. Seek out people in your life that inspire you, that make you laugh, that make you a better person, ones you enjoy spending some of your journey with and when you find those people, don't forget to let them know every day what they mean to you!
Anyway I'm going to get back to my B-flick and I'm sure you have things to do too, like call that special someone and let them know how much you care... I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.
Until next time.
Take care,
~Craig