12/26

#NowPlaying Whatever Happens by Bill Withers

I’m forever captivated by those who dive into love with a raw authenticity, grounded in grace, kindness, and an unwavering passion. The stories that resonate with me most are those of individuals loving through the storms — pain, mistakes, sickness, death, childhood scars, and the unpredictable undulations of life. It leaves me wondering, what extraordinary actions unlock the courage for someone to take a chance on you, offering unwavering love despite it all? I often ponder if God will bless me with the chance to grow as a flawed yet evolving human being, experiencing all that life has to offer including true, authentic love.

What’s seldom acknowledged is the reality that sometimes soulmates never find their way back to each other. Does the absence of forever make the experience any less valid? Life, for its own mysterious reasons, can carve out distances — new loves emerge, losses happen, and various forces pull apart what once felt inseparable.

I vividly recall a summer night in 2006, sitting at Locust Grove’s Huddle House after a lively night at Atlanta’s Club Miami. At that time, my partner was right there beside me. It was during this moment that our waitress unfolded a tale bursting with happiness — her reconnection with a soulmate after decades of separate lives, marriages, and the shared journey of raising children. These stories, so rare, echo the resilience of love that defies the boundaries of time.

Perhaps it was the spark of youthfulness in our eyes that prompted our waitress to share such a deeply personal narrative.

Loving someone profoundly at different junctures in life, pouring your heart into each moment, doesn’t shield you from mistakes — not because you intend to stumble, but because imperfection is an integral part of the shared human experience something I’ve learned.