What I can tell you is that those who have sent in their letters and stories have touched my heart so deeply that I know this is something I need to keep pursuing. There are so many people out there who live and function every day with these thoughts and words streaming through their mind and soul. They push them away, they forget about them, and they move on, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this person once existed very prominently in their life, and will never be forgotten.
A few months ago I published my first round of excerpts, and one entry seemed to catch the eye of all of my readers. This story was sent to me by a young man in response to my very first blog entry, and was so powerful to read I would like to share the whole piece. He and his girlfriend broke up about two years ago, because she "felt a sense of disconnect." According to him, the disconnect was because he was involved with another woman... something his ex-girlfriend never knew. Here is his full response:
"What I took away from this experience is that sometimes good people make mistakes. I took away the fact that a person can have something so good and yet act like a wild person without any sense whatsoever. I took away the fact that a person can chase a dream for seemingly forever, only to forget what they've got once they finally have it. I took away the fact that, after all is done, you can sometimes smell a person's scent long after they've gone. I took away the fact that momentary sins of the flesh can lead to a lifetime of what ifs, but fors, and please Gods. I took away the fact that fingertips have memories and they remember the curves of another person's body long after your mind has forgotten them. I took away the fact that when someone says the eyes are the doorways to a person's soul that they must not have met me. I took away the fact that, when all is said and done, I really wonder if it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I took away the fact that, when all is said and done, I'm so lucky to have met her. I wrote a letter to her that will never be sent. It will never be sent because, I feel, it cannot be. I have to write the letter because, even after two years apart, the situation just kept digging through the middle of me."
There are only three days left of 2008. Make them count. Write your letter. Make a phone call. It's never too late when it comes to matters of the heart. Tuck 2008 neatly into bed, close its eyes, and let it sleep forever. 2009 is a whole new ball game.
Happy New Year everyone. Thank you for reading, responding, and supporting. When that clock strikes midnight on Wednesday evening, may you be filled with a feeling of happiness and hope that carries you throughout the year.
See you on the other side ;)
