Talking For Hours Part 1
It was cathartic to speak and scrape away these things that weigh heavy on our hearts. Words of consolation were eagerly received and well timed. Reading of the trials of the righteous, one does not anticipate the hardest battles will come from within rather than from frontal attacks of enemies known and unknown. Many hands make the load light and the walls strong.
Liberation is so often portrayed in splendor, but rarely is there an accounting of the cost in tears and despair it takes to achieve a freedom. Rest knowing that we who love you, as does your Father, will not forget your loyalty and fortitude as you kept your face to the wind through the storm. Praise be that your ballast kept you from keeling, even as the winds and whitecaps pummeled relentlessly. The price you paid in setting an example will produce dividends to all who call you friend and family.
When speaking of an evening decades hence and I could not recall the specifics, but I know it in feeling. The laughter and levity of forgotten moments are such a treasure. The account carried me through the years and I hanged like a specter watching the moments shared underneath the stars. Would we then have been inspired or terrified to look forward through time to this moment as we now looked to the gilded past? Those were glorious times when everything seemed possible and even probable. Ah! No day is as golden in its moment as it is in memory. I give thanks that so many occasions were shared with radiant ones.
…
Talking For Hours Part 2
The beauty of friends of many years is the countless shared memories, loves, losses and strengthening toils (the lord loves a ditch-digger, I say). Slights overlooked, forgiveness given and received. The cost in time well worth the investment. A bargain at twice the price. The social mechanics that bring like minds and hearts together are indescribably complex, how exquisite it is that we find luminous souls that brighten our existence with each acknowledgement. Even through shared heartbreak of even gargantuan proportion, thoughts with you make us feel happy and safe.
Perhaps the true measure of man does not lie in his accomplishments or monuments, but in the memories carried by those known by them.
Most fail to see the intangible qualities that compose personalties of a high emotional and spiritual intelligence. The tools fail to measure compassion, thoughtfulness, kindness and loyalty. Indeed, one cannot legislate the human heart, so what a rare jewel you are in having sculpted your own seat of motivation to be one of selfless thoughtfulness.
Shared truth allows honesty and an elimination of the social mask that we show to most. To be vulnerable and enjoy the warmth and affection we cannot when we are simply being polite. New relationships focus on what we get from others, but as connections mature and the bonds of love strengthen, we seek more opportunities to give, confident we will be made whole through the happiness of sharing.
How kind of you to see the tear in another’s heart and reach out to offer aid when you yourself are not yet whole.
As the world grows darker every day, we need the trust and affection that only a brothers love can truly provide. Our memories of you could light a universe and we will bask in their warm glow until our last synapses expire.
I'm still figuring out substack, just now saw this.
I had the advantage of seeing that line in print and getting to reread and process it. Your conversation partners were at a disadvantage, unless they were as quick minded as you, which most of us are not X-D. But hopefully they kept mulling it over.
When i am in conversation and someone says something interesting that i don't quite get, I try to be humble enough to ask a repeat or explanation instead of faining understanding. But sometimes i fail. Which i most often regret, because i have missed out on learning.
I have always appreciated you and Angelina don't make those around you feel less than while we try to keep up with your more creative and articulate minds. But instead we benefit from the mental stimulation. Thanks!
Wow! So many lines I read and reread. "No day is as golden in its moment as it is in memory" feels like a line that would become well-known & oft-quoted.