Just a Thought: We found love right where we are

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“I MADE A WISH AND YOU CAME TRUE!” So said the sign on the shelf at the novelty shop we visited on our vacation. My mind immediately thought of my bride of 35 years, Tanya, across the store from me. I am so blessed this Valentine season.

Can you say the words “I am in love?” Spoken by an infatuated sixteen year old these words mean something different than they do when spoken by a 60 old after forty years of marriage. Nevertheless, they are powerful words. 

Because love is very powerful, love changes a person’s entire world view. Studies have even shown that a happy marriage adds time to a person’s life.

As Valentines Day arrives in 2020, are you in love? I hope that you are and I hope that the love you are experiencing makes your world a better place to wake up in each day and adds value to your life. And I hurt for those of you who wake up today without the one you have loved for decades before losing him or her.

I can say from my heart today that I am in love. It was 36 years ago on Valentines Day when I dropped to one knee and proposed to a woman who has become my best friend. Her “yes” has made all the difference in my world. And I married up!

My world is a much better world to live in because of my love for her and she for me. Neither of us are perfect and we have our up times and down times, but through over three decades of commitment to one another we have weathered every storm that the world has thrown at us and we are equipped for the storms that will sweep down on us in the days and years ahead. 

There is a song by performed by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran titled “Thinking Out Loud” that summarizes my thoughts better than I can express them. I would like to dedicate this song to my wife on this Valentine’s Day and to each of you who have been blessed with a long term relationship. It has a beautiful melody that I wish I could play for you as you read the lyrics. It was co-written by Amy Wadge. The song hit number one in seven countries and climbed up to number two in the United States. 

It is a romantic song from one spouse to another and whenever it plays it causes my wife and I to appreciate just what we have together, because it truly is something special. 

The lyrics are “When your legs don’t work like they used to before, and I can’t sweep you off of your feet, will your mouth still remember the taste of my love? Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?

“And darling I will be loving you ‘til we’re 70. And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23. And I’m thinking ‘bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways. Maybe just the touch of a hand. Oh me I fall in love with you every single day. And I just wanna tell you I am.

“So honey now, take me into your loving arms. Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars. Place your head on my beating heart. I’m thinking out loud, maybe we found love right where we are.

“When my hair’s all but gone and my memory fades. And the crowds don’t remember my name. When my hands don’t play the strings the same way. I know you will still love me the same.

“Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it’s evergreen. Baby your smile’s forever in my mind and memory.

“I’m thinking ‘bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways. Maybe it’s all part of a plan. I’ll just keep on making the same mistakes, hoping that you’ll understand.

“So baby now, take me into your loving arms. Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars. Place your head on my beating heart. I’m thinking out loud, that maybe we found love right where we are.

“Oh maybe we found love right where we are.”

When my wife and I are together and this song comes on the radio she pats her heart to the words, “Place your head on my beating heart.” I then ask her “If you are going to love me until I am 70, what happens then?” She tells me to not worry about it...and I don’t!

There are so many sayings and songs about love. From the Apostle Paul’s “The greatest of these is love” to the Beatles “All you need is love,” there could be an entire column devoted just to theses sayings.

My challenge to you today is to experience life to the fullest. And to do so your life needs to have love. If you are blessed as I am to have a healthy relationship with another with a mutual deep love, praise God. If you are having to work on loving another each day, try to model the person you want the other to be and see what happens. 

If you are in a chapter of your life where love is in the rear view mirror, it is my hope and prayer that you are able to put yourself into the path of the one who can make your world a better place. If you have lost the one you loved, let me give you a hug.

Valentine’s Day is all about love. May you experience it to the fullest. May your Valentine’s Day experience be a good one. 

And to my dear wife who puts up with me, “I made a wish and you came true!”

Just a thought...

Rick Kraft is a motivational speaker, a syndicated columnist, a published author, and an attorney. To submit comments, contributions, or ideas, e-mail to rkraft@kraftlawfirm.org or write to P.O. Box 850, Roswell, New Mexico, 88202 - 0850.