Several years ago Chris got into a band called Carbon Leaf. He purchased an album titled LOVE, LOSS, HOPE, REPEAT which was also the title of one of the songs. It quickly became one of my favorites. There were two parts that really stuck with me. The first is this:
You know the seasons oughta be Love Loss Hope Repeat
This rang true to my heart, both then and now. Life is cyclical, is it not? Loss is inevitable, whether it is due to broken relationships or death. Then at some point, we are ready to hope again and it all repeats. Then there was another snippet of the song that hit a discord in my soul:
I love you more than I'll ever let on And that's a fault of mine I'm workin' on I'm workin' on
This has never been the way I’ve lived. This wasn’t my mode of operations in the “before” and it is even less the way I operate in the “after”. Now that I have experienced firsthand just how quickly life can take you from normal day to tragedy, I know this life on earth is fleeting. It’s not worth it to hold back. If you want to hold her hand, offer to hold her hand. If you want to kiss him, lock eyes and kiss him. If you love someone, say it. When the child is crying in the night, comfort them with your physical presence. That opportunity might not present itself again. What good is love if you keep it to yourself?