so much!

Life....how do weeks go by in a moment?  so the first thing I thought of writing here happened about a week after my last post.  It has stayed burned in my brain since then.  Certainly other poignant things have happened, but this stole my attention and in ways still has it.  I was in a group discussion about love, relationships, and what men desire vs. women.  Now before you think, "oh so this is about...." hear me out.  The discussion was stating how men long to feel honored and respected by their wives while women desire to be emotionally intimate and loved by their husbands.  Of course, this wasn't proclaiming either gender only needs one or the other, but for the most part the priority is different for men vs. women.  So what stood out to me was when this man, probably in his 70s maybe, spoke up in the group.  He spoke about how a few years ago he and his wife were in another country doing mission work.  She had a physical ailment that required some help walking.  He said that he held her hand alot simply to steady her and help her along the way. Several people on the trip kept commenting when seeing them holding hands, "awww look they're still so in love."  The man said he kept thinking, "I'm just trying to help her walk."  Then.......his eyes got misty, this beautiful, wise man, and he said, "it really is true that you don't realize how much you love someone until you lose them."  His wife had passed away some time after that trip.  I think it struck me so deeply because 1) I don't see men cry much, and 2) I definitely don't see older generation men cry much.  I wanted to hug him because it felt, in some way, like an emotion everyone needs to express but doesn't.  I think, unfortunately, it's almost taboo to say/show how you really feel....whether it's about a situation or another person.  Then, yesterday I had to take a personality test for the place I work and it had this quote in it.  

"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth." -Benjamin Disraeli.

Anyway, I have so much more I want to write, but I don't want to bog down one post with too much.  I just felt insanely blessed by the above-mentioned discussion because it included three different generations of people and, not to be too out there, but I seriously felt my soul expand or something just taking it all in. :c)  Cheers!

P.S. I just found out that I'll be playing on the Acoustic Stage at the ArtsFest on Walnut St. Saturday, May 2nd from 2:30-3:30pm.  I LOVE the ArtsFest!!  Come and support the Arts in Springfield!!!