We sat at a corner cafe, sipping a warm sweet brew against the backdrop of a bustling city’s night parade. Two souls captured by the grace of the moment, oblivious to the motioning motion surrounding us. Oblivious to time, and to our otherwise distanced lives. Our eyes fixed on one another’s reflection, we drank in the blessing, the music shared between us, the miracle of this night. We quenched our thirst by composing silent lyrics only our hearts could hear, for we knew all too well this moment would have to keep us. It would have to last.
“He planned this, you know,” said my friend with the wise eyes of a holy man. “Do you understand?” he continued, his voice softening to a hush.
“Yes,” I whispered, smiling, taking his hand in mine. “I have many questions for God, but concerning you I can only offer praise. It’s heaven just to know you exist.”
Then, like so many times before, my smile melted into tears. Tears of joy. Tears of gratitude. Tears spilling under an antique moon, revealing the ache that soon, too soon, we’d have to say goodbye. Again.
We first met three years before. A chance meeting at a writer’s forum proved to be our fate. He wrote truths that caused my very foundation to tremble. His words were the same as those I had only heard my inner voice speak in solitude — visions and private conversations I thought were reserved for me and me alone. Was he an angel sent to greet me? A messenger of some all important truth? All I knew was that his presence assured me I was not alone, nor would I ever be. I had found a soul companion, my twin, and here he was breathing life into me. I was, and continue to be, in awe of the blessing.
Through common dreams and soulful prose, we’ve shared lifetimes in these few precious years. Despite the miles that separate us, we’ve become pieces of one another. Once single threads, we are now woven into a cable so strong that nothing can ever break or tear its beauty. Never have I been so certain of anything, or anyone. Herein is faith.
I have no name for what this relationship is. Surely others have wondered, and some have asked. I can only say that this is a kinship deeper than I ever dreamt possible — the kind that makes me happy to be alive. We share a taste of heaven, he and I, and my only wish is that every soul on earth might know this glory.
Much of what he brings me is too big, too profound for words to ever convey what is felt in my heart. Forever seems to be the only word fitting of the timelessness we share, and of the we I’ve come to know and cherish. It’s as if we’re continuing down a sacred path designed centuries ago, promising then, as we do now, never to forget.
Perhaps the finest gift he brings me is the ever-present reminder of why God put us here: to care, nurture, and protect one another; to share the wonder; to give more than we take; to take the leap of faith; to believe in the power of the human spirit; and to live each day with the knowledge that love is the ladder to the stars, the very path to heaven. The gift I hope to give him back is my devotion to sharing these truths with the world.
It’s been weeks since sharing coffee on that city corner. Weeks since the tears flowed so easily. We only had a moment then, and, like feathers floating across an ethereal sky, moments are all we will ever have. But, oh, how golden are they.
This morning, as I rushed through my routine, a thought interrupted my chaos to reveal peace. In a whispered tone, so familiar to my soul, I heard his voice in the wind. “I'm carrying you in my pocket... encouraging every footstep... so close in spirit... remember, it has no end.”
Caressing the comfort, I realized my breathing had changed. I gazed at the wonder of the sky, knowing deep in my heart that a greater force, far above the windy city, arranged this gift in our lives. Unbroken is this understanding. Unbroken is this shared language of the soul. This is the definition of grace. This is forever friendship. And yes, He planned it this way.
~ Lisa Weedn
