Forever

Gazing up at the large photo perched upon the shelf.  A carefree image of Michael hamming it up with his friends.  Finding myself once again ruminating on the concept of forever.  Initially viewing it from the purely physical perspective.  Contemplating the reality of him never sitting here on the sofa with me again.  It takes my breath away.  Then purposefully redirecting my thinking.  Flipping it over.  Turning it around.  Focusing on the understanding that his essence exists eternally.  Enabling me to resume breathing comfortably once again.

Love Letters

Sunday mornings.  Time for our weekly love letters.  Most weeks, but not all.  My husband and I taking turns posing one question to answer separately.  Sometimes emotional topics leading to heartfelt discussion. "What do I like most about our marriage and why?" or "What is the nicest thing you've done for me this week and how do I feel about that?". Often in the more quirky realm.  "If you were a bird, what kind would you be and why?" or "What was your favourite comfort food as a child and how did it make you feel?".  Writing for ten minutes max. Exchanging our answers.  Reading through each other's letters twice before commenting.  Spending a few minutes sharing our thoughts on what we have discovered.  Continuing to reveal something of our essence to each other.  Each and every time.  Often to ourselves as well. Committing to this activity fourteen years ago after attending a workshop together.  One I was directed to in my sleep.  The name of it spelled out in large white capital letters many times over the course of the night.  All these years and hundreds of letters later.  Helping this relationship stay fresh and alive.