By nature I am a nostalgic person. I save everything. Tonight I was trying to downsize my "keepsakes" box and as usual, I found myself caught up in the memories of each item. I read notes I have saved all the way back to childhood. I have a separate box for letters and things from my husband and kids, but the box I sorted tonight contained everything from my baptism candle (I was baptised as a baby.) to the program from my 4th grade musical to the booklet from my best friend's mom's funeral when I was only 13.
One of the best notes I found, however, was simply signed, "ME." I do not know who "ME" is exactly but I have my assumptions. After typing the letter out here, I am sure my husband is going to claim it is him. I know it is not. I will not say who I think wrote this, in case I am wrong... but one thing is for sure, whoever wrote this knew the way to a woman's heart. It says:
Lynn,
I wish someday, even if we hardly speak anymore, I could capture you for a while. I would take you to Greece, Rome, Tahiti, Paris, all the beautiful places in this world. Of course, I can't forget the mountains. After that trip was through, I don't believe that all of these places put together even compares to what a wonderfully, beautiful person you are! I MEAN THAT!!
Please take care of yourself while climbing those mountains. I am positive I won't go an hour a day without thinking of you. I MEAN THAT!!!
I love you, Lynn, even if someday it's for the fact that you've been a best friend. I'll always love you for that. Be safe.
Love,
ME
Wow. What can you say to that? Isn't that what we all want to hear? It has the pursuit - he's going to capture me. It has the romance - he calls me beautiful. It has the adventure - he's going to take me places. It has freedom - he says even if we hardly speak anymore, as if he doesn't know the future. And it has tenderness - we are friends forever. Sad thing is that I don't know who this friend forever is. Whoever it is, I am pretty sure we're not friends today. That doesn't mean that I have forgotten my old boyfriends. In fact, I told my husband one time that I always had nice boyfriends (except for one psycho guy in college). I thought he would appreciate knowing that I had been loved well, and that I had good taste. He didn't see it that way. He actually told me I had five more minutes to reminisce about old boyfriends and then I needed to be done. I suppose I wouldn't have been amused at his recollections either.
Yet tonight I claim the same thing - that I had nice boyfriends. That doesn't mean I wish for them now, but as I reminisced I was filled with gratefulness for these people who graced my life with tenderness and love and who prepared me for what I wanted out of a relationship with my husband. As one person I know used to say, those were the John the Baptist relationships - preparing the way for what was yet to come. So thank you, "ME." Thank you for caring so deeply about me and for knowing what a girl longs to hear. I am so blessed to have known love like that in my past and in my present. I am confident I will continue to know it into my future as well.