Perhaps one of the most wonderful experiences life offers us is the chance to fall in love. For some, love comes naturally; for others, the journey is difficult… and some search their whole lives without ever finding it. I have been fortunate to experience many loves during my life, and although my hair is now gray and my body finds it harder to move… I still long to love and to be loved.
I still remember my first love, a girl I knew as Sue. She had just rescued me from being bitten by her giant Saint Bernard. I had taken the shortcut through her yard many times, and each time, her dog would charge at me. Of course, he was chained and would stop just short of the path. Unaware that a longer chain had been purchased, I kept walking confidently until the dog’s jaws suddenly clamped around my leg. Panicked, I called for Sue, and she yelled his name. Immediately, he let go… but I swear I heard him chuckling as he returned to his post.
Seeing that I was a bit shaken, she began wiping his saliva from my pants with the towel she held. I could feel my knees grow wobbly from the gentleness of her touch. We were both ten years old, and had our parents allowed it, I would have married her right then and there… but time passed, and as often happens, my love began to fade… and now she’s nothing more than a memory on some earmarked page of life.
