Love lives on

Love Lives On 

Love lives on, no matter what,

If the seed is deeply sown,

And jointly nurtured through this life,

Never mind foul winds have blown,

Never mind the thousand things,

That try to rip and tear apart,

The joy that's shared by lovers true,

Two souls bound as one, in heart.

Life is short, there is no doubt,

But love will live forever,

No matter what the circumstance,

Love lives on, and fails us never.

For I have loved and lost, you see,

The one who met my every need,

Her spirit dwells within my heart,

For love lives on, no doubt, indeed.

In memory of my sweet Cheryl.

The Mayo River State Park

A Quiet Walk in the Park

I'm not a native North Carolinian, but I have lived here over 30 years. It surprises me when I discover something new, but I often stumble across an out of the way little jewel hidden in the woods. As I was trekking my way to Stoneville last week, I passed a sign that read, 'Mayo River State Park'. Never heard of it, I thought, though I knew that the confluence of the Mayo and the Dan river were near the village of Mayodan.

After leaving Stoneville, I decided to explore the park, it was virtually enroute. Easily accessible off old highway 220, a paved road winded it's way through a dense forest to a cleared parking area nestled in next to a large pond surrounded by trees. Scattered around the pond were individual picnic tables in the trees, and there are shelters built to accommodate large groups. All of this is at the trailhead of a 3+ mile hiking trail that goes through the Mayo Mountain woods . Not that I am a big hiker, I once was, but the wanderlust has left my weary bones long ago.

This trail looked do-able for me, but I was not dressed for hiking, so I just wandered around the pond for about an hour. It was sunny, but not hot. A cooling breeze drifted across the small lake and rustled the leaves in the trees overhead. In the midst of this God-awful pandemic, it was an oasis in the center of the storm. Peace and tranquility prevailed. Just sitting at a picnic table in the shade eased my anxieties and brought a sweet peace over my soul.

Amy called from California as I was driving into the park and I had a very pleasant chat as I wandered through the trees and caught up with all that is happening with her boys. Life is truly short and we must learn to find joy everywhere we can find it. I found it in a park I didn't know existed, in a conversation with my sweet daughter on a call I was not expecting, and on a picnic table bench escaping from the realities of this life.

I'm taking my hiking boots next time, I read online that there is a waterfall on the northern trail of the park. 

It Was a God Thing

Like a pair of cardinals who mate for life, like peanut butter and jelly, like two peas in the same pod, physically and spiritually united, we were inseparable by an invisible bond that will last for an eternity. She was the answer to my prayer and God eventually revealed it to her also. When we first met, I knew she was the one, but she wasn't looking for anyone and I was just an interesting new person to her,

God doesn't always reveal his direction to us at the same time, I had prayed through and cast myself at His mercy to help me find that soulmate whom I yearned for. She had stabilized her life and really saw no need to clutter it up with a serious relationship. She approached me cautiously and reservedly. We liked each other immediately, and since I had read the message from God that this was her, I had to wait for her to catch up.  

I don't know if you have experienced a love that fused your very soul together with another, but we did. Over time we became clones of each other, we thought alike, we acted and responded alike, we even finished each other's sentences. We were not perfect but we worked hard to live in perfect harmony. I have never experienced such  feelings of complete and utter joy as I did in her company. I have never felt the comfort and peace that she brought to me. 

We had much in common, our beliefs, our family values, our expectations of life, our trust in one another and our God. If true love is built on a rock solid foundation then ours was built on the largest chunk of granite that you can imagine. Our love was simple and at the same time it was enormous. She was the best friend I ever had. Dear God, I love this woman still, though my heart has a prodigous vacuum that her life filled, I will love her forever till my dying day.

Several times each day I ask her what she asked me every day of our life together, "Have I told you today that I love you". My heart is broken beyond repair, her sweet memory will live as long as there is breath in me and, I will never love again as I loved her. I claim the great "Hope" that God promises to all Christians, eternal life in Heaven with all those belivers who have gone before us. I'll see you soon Sweetie.

Love Lives On 

Love lives on, no matter what,

If the seed is deeply sown,

And jointly nurtured through this life,

Never mind foul winds have blown,

Never mind the thousand things,

That try to rip and tear apart,

The joy that's shared by lovers true,

Two souls bound as one, in heart.

Life is short, there is no doubt,

But love will live forever,

No matter what the circumstance,

Love lives on, and fails us never.

For I have loved and lost, you see,

The one who met my every need,

Her spirit dwells within my heart,

For love lives on, no doubt, indeed.