I mean to tell you what, (Southern drawl) when I was in my earlies I was not only a fan of Van Halen, I actually dated Alex for a minute. I swear, it was only a minute. You can't hang onto firecrackers very long folks; you get burned! I was young!! It was a moment. In 1981 I had just been hired by Gulf Oil, a major energy company. This was before I was licensed as an insurance agent, and during the time I was going back and forth to Hollywood to work with and for James Garner...yes, THE James Garner. He was and still is, my most handsomest employer ever. There's a blog about that actually. I'll see if I can find the link. https://judestringfellow.blogspot.com/2007/04/mr-handsome-my-2nd-favorite-boss.html Working for Jim I was able to go on and off of numerous studios, and I did. I met Alex and we went out. He came in concert that year and we went out again. I worked for the concert promoter when in Oklahoma, when not working for Gulf, when not working for Jim. You see, I've always been a good multi-tasker.
Love takes on so many faces and it has within it so many angles and depths. I think the Hebrew language has something like 16 words for the word "love", whereas in English we have a few. We'll say "puppy love" or "sweetheart", but what about the love a man has for his father, his mother, his children his sibling, or his friend? What about the love a woman has for those people? What about the love we have for mankind, for community? We need more words to describe an immediate knowledge of what we're talking about when we say "Oh my gosh, I love that!" We're probably not saying we want to marry it, or spend the rest of the day with it, let alone our entire lives. We need more words like "agape" which is the word the Hebrews use for the love that God has for us, unconditional love.
I wasn't in love with Alex; and in fact, I'm really happy we didn't continue to go out because there's absolutely no way I could have expected him to remain faithful to me or even expect that he would ever consider it. Why on Earth would he? He was young, in a major band, he was touring, he was hot, rich, and all the things the world says and sees as being successful and in control. He was magnificent to hang around with, and I will add that (surprisingly enough as it may be) he was an amazing gentleman the entire time we "dated", which is even too strong of a label to attach. We went out a few times. It was what I'd call now, a moment in time. Certainly not love.
I sat in my chair today, the chair I sit in to read and write in my journal or to pray in when I'm not in the closet praying. I sat there with the dog, covered in a wee soft blanket while holding the Kindle. I was just about to turn it on to read the book that was queued up to read, but my eye caught something directly in front of me which couldn't be ignored. I saw the hope chest that Daddy made for my daughter Laura. He made one for Caity as well. I think he made one for all of his granddaughters in fact. My daddy was a cabinet maker before and after he retired as Regional Chief Wire Tech at Western Union. (Wow, just saying that makes me cry as I remember the love I had for the offices and backspace where Daddy worked at that low-profile building downtown with its amazing capabilities.) My daddy worked the night shift, and he was the one they called to fix circuits during storms - - he was a hero.
The hope chest is a wooden box with a little relief heart attached in the middle. If you look at the "feet" you'll see that one has broken off, and when we put it back under the box we didn't do it correctly. I think that actually adds to the character really; Daddy would have made us take it off and do it again. He was like that, but he'd be shaking his head and grinning the entire time. He did that too. I think of the love I have for that box. It's deep and it is solid. It's a love that reflects and transfers the love I have for its maker. He is my father, he is my dad. He is now a guardian as he watches from Heaven, no doubt applying the same wisdom and guidance he instilled in me while he was allowed to be with us. I don't miss him in the way others may. I am glad he's where he is because he wasn't happy here; not in the end. I love the memories I have of him when I was a kid. I love the memories I have of him when I was a teen and needed advice. I love the memories I have of him when he would take my kids for rides on the lawnmower or let them "help" him with cabinet building. (They sanded pieces of wood on the porch while he worked in the workshop)
Love is a very splendid and complex thing. I can love a person without knowing him. I can love a poem without having written it. I can love a dream I will have tomorrow or the one I had last night. I can love and I will love, and if I had anything to say about it, I would wish and pour love onto everything I see, hear, touch, taste, smell, or feel (or think). I would wrap myself in love if it were possible and I would never let Love leave without taking me with it. I like the verse Corinthians 13:13 "And now abideth three things, faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love." The King James renders the word "charity" but it is translated properly into the general word for love. Love really is the answer. Love really is the key. Love really is the evidence, and love really is all we really need. It never ends and it never quits and it never dies, not if it is real love.
Photo Credit: Me. (Yeah, I love Sammy the fat cat too...and yes, I love Amazon and plaid wrapping paper. LOL)
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