I remember waiting by the window for Jared to show up for our date. I was ready early (a shocking truth for anyone who knows me now.) It was going to be our last date before I packed up and went back to school across the state leaving our summer romance behind.
I always wondered if Jared knew deep down that he wasn’t going to let me go.
He pulled into the parking lot in his truck, and climbed out, looking at his hair one last time in the reflection of the truck’s windows. He took a deep breath and walked toward the door. I ran over to the couch to sit and act like I had been waiting patiently for him.
I always wondered if Jared knew that I couldn’t wait to see him.
He walked inside, and I got up and hugged him, complimented him on how great he looked and we were off to see what the night would bring. (After we snapped a few pictures of course.)
And when the end of the night came, and said our goodbyes, (knowing that they might be more permanent than any other night) something inside of me said, “Hold on just a little longer.”
I always wondered if something inside of Jared said, “Hold her a little longer,” too.
The truth is, even though I thought it was over that night, that sweet boy decided to change his entire life for me. I guess that’s what happens when you fall in love… because love doesn’t give up.
There’s a longer story, one for a different day, but as I picked up this picture this morning, and I looked at those young, fresh faced, crazy in love kids (with questionable hairstyles),
And I wonder where they have gone.
Nearly a decade has passed since this photo froze time, and all of the minutes have been pressed down together to build a few mountains. And while we sometimes feel buried beneath babies and jobs, and obligations and laundry, we haven’t been covered up. We have been carved. Those have all been the tools that chisel away and sculpt us into these people we are today –
People that can’t go back to the beginning, but who can look back, and find lessons that help us move forward.
So while I wondered before, I don’t have to anymore. I see now that we are so much more in love today than we were back then, because we have learned that love doesn’t let go. Love says hold each other a little longer. And love doesn’t give up.
We aren’t lost, friends… And you aren’t either. May we continue to find ourselves a little deeper in love today than we were the day before…
Know someone else who needs to hear this? Share this post to pass it on, and then come find me on Facebook! I try and stay in touch with my readers on a personal level through social media!
