This morning I woke up in a strange bed with no sense of time. The room was dark and strangely quiet, other than the faint hum of the air conditioner. As the fog lifted from my mind the pieces came back to me. We were in a hotel room after a great evening of retracing some of our steps back in the early 90’s when we fell in love.

The moments last night were significant. We walked the shore of Lake Valentine where we once walked regularly, holding hands and wondering if we might spend our life together. The canoes were still there where I knew which one was broken and I could wrestle out of the lock and chain and sneak out on the water. We walked to Seminary Hill and to Bodein and Nelson, each of our freshman dorms, and to the townhouses we stayed our sophomore year.

The memories flooded back; people, places, events; all spontaneous conversation that came without effort. We remembered when I told her, after Thanksgiving our sophomore year, that I was leaving Bethel to go study forestry in Missouri. She thought I was crazy and that we were done. I knew I wasn’t and we weren’t. It was simply another spontaneous adventure I had to do. A month later I was gone.

The story obviously continued over the next 23 years. But without a doubt, after this last 6 months, I look into Tara’s eyes with a TOTALLY new respect and admiration….and passionate love. She has done this journey very well. And I am talking about the entire 23 years, not just the last 6 months. Not many people do. That is too bad.

“Remember when……” That is what we will all say when something is over. You will either remember doing it well or not. Do it well.