To be clear, I did not create the following anecdote and do not claim any ownership of it, but wanted to share this with any and all who might happen upon my blog in the hope that it will make your day a little brighter and your sense of hope in the power and possibility of love a little stronger.
(If you're interested below this story will be my observations, thoughts, feelings etc.)
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. You know, the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly? Well, this
one occurred a mere two feet away from me!
Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jetway, 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, and movingly 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, diverted his eyes, and replied softly, "Me too, Dad!"
Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe 9 or 10) and while cupping his son's face in his hands he said, "You're already quite the young man. I love you very much Zach!" They too hugged a most loving, tender hug. His son said nothing. No reply was necessary.
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 babygirl!" 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 and remained motionless in total 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 into each other's 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 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 were 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 looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile and told me, "Two whole days!"
Two days?! I was stunned! I was certain by the intensity of the greeting I just witnessed that he'd been gone for at least several weeks, if not months, and I know my expression betrayed me. So 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 an intensity 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!." With that, he and his family turned and energetically strode away together.
I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, "What'cha looking at?" Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, "My future!"
-Michael Hardgrove-
Most people who have had conversations with me about relationships and love etc. will say I am an incurable romantic and up until a couple of years ago I would have agreed. But if I were to describe myself now I would say that, as I have grown up and grown older, I have become at the very least a skeptical romantic.
Although I hold on to the sweet dreams of soul-mates and love at first sight and being swept off my feet, as happens in all the great romance stories, I know it rarely happens that way. I feel as though the world in its harsh reality chips away at those daydreams with the multitude of stories and examples that demonstrate the opposite of love. Too many stories of relationships that end badly, of abuse, of heartbreak and other terrible things. All these things resist the rose-tinted view of the perfection of love and relationships.
The terrible stories, statistics and situations that could make me afraid or disillusioned don't entirely succeed because somewhere between my incurable optimism, my romantic streak and the inspiration that those quiet but constant love stories offer, it is enough to keep my faith in the possibility of love and romance alive. These happy stories are there to remind us that it never hurts to hope and to keep seeking the possibility of these positive ideals. They remind us of the power of family, of dedication, forgiveness, trust and commitment. All things that are harder to keep hold of, especially when the world creates so many obstacles, temptations and trials. But as in the moral of this story, it is not a matter of hoping and dreaming alone, but of making a decision, a decision to keep believing and keep trying.
Having faith and inspiration from these stories is what keeps people like me seeking romance and love in its various forms. But it is balanced with the acknowledgement that effort, determination and the teamwork of all those involved in the relationship are what really make it special. These are the things I took away from reading this sweet little story and I hope to combine these lessons with my life observations as I continue striving to build extraordinary relationships and connections with people.
Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jetway, 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, and movingly 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, diverted his eyes, and replied softly, "Me too, Dad!"
Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe 9 or 10) and while cupping his son's face in his hands he said, "You're already quite the young man. I love you very much Zach!" They too hugged a most loving, tender hug. His son said nothing. No reply was necessary.
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 babygirl!" 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 and remained motionless in total 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 into each other's 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 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 were 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 looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile and told me, "Two whole days!"
Two days?! I was stunned! I was certain by the intensity of the greeting I just witnessed that he'd been gone for at least several weeks, if not months, and I know my expression betrayed me. So 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 an intensity 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!." With that, he and his family turned and energetically strode away together.
I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, "What'cha looking at?" Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, "My future!"
-Michael Hardgrove-
Most people who have had conversations with me about relationships and love etc. will say I am an incurable romantic and up until a couple of years ago I would have agreed. But if I were to describe myself now I would say that, as I have grown up and grown older, I have become at the very least a skeptical romantic.
Although I hold on to the sweet dreams of soul-mates and love at first sight and being swept off my feet, as happens in all the great romance stories, I know it rarely happens that way. I feel as though the world in its harsh reality chips away at those daydreams with the multitude of stories and examples that demonstrate the opposite of love. Too many stories of relationships that end badly, of abuse, of heartbreak and other terrible things. All these things resist the rose-tinted view of the perfection of love and relationships.
The terrible stories, statistics and situations that could make me afraid or disillusioned don't entirely succeed because somewhere between my incurable optimism, my romantic streak and the inspiration that those quiet but constant love stories offer, it is enough to keep my faith in the possibility of love and romance alive. These happy stories are there to remind us that it never hurts to hope and to keep seeking the possibility of these positive ideals. They remind us of the power of family, of dedication, forgiveness, trust and commitment. All things that are harder to keep hold of, especially when the world creates so many obstacles, temptations and trials. But as in the moral of this story, it is not a matter of hoping and dreaming alone, but of making a decision, a decision to keep believing and keep trying.
Having faith and inspiration from these stories is what keeps people like me seeking romance and love in its various forms. But it is balanced with the acknowledgement that effort, determination and the teamwork of all those involved in the relationship are what really make it special. These are the things I took away from reading this sweet little story and I hope to combine these lessons with my life observations as I continue striving to build extraordinary relationships and connections with people.
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