"when I see you again..."

"'cause we've come
a long way
from where we began;

and I'll tell you
all about it
when I see you again..."

For me, the musical surprise of the summer was the duo Endless Summer. I have checked in with their Youtube channel once a week to see if they have posted anything new -- or old. Loved finding this video for  "See You Again," . It was the perfect accompaniment for this post.

This summer I've known the joy of seeing a number of people from past chapters of my life, that I'd not seen in a long time. And here is what I have learned: Love knows no time.

I remember a friend once telling me about sitting across from someone she hadn't seen in over fifty years, and, she just couldn't see it.  She couldn't see the fifty years.  I thought she was spinning a tale. Now I know, she wasn't.

This summer, as I sat across from friends I hadn't seen in 5 years, 20 years, 40 years, I could see the dark hair that was now peppered with silver, the shift in body mass, the change in gait  -- with my eyes. Yet over and over again, my heart saw what it had held in memory for decades. The sound of their laughter, the sparkle in their eyes, the curve of their hands as they held a pen -- it was all I could see. Truly.

His weathered face, dissolved into boyish-ness. The mature mom, became a coltish girl right before me. In the eyes of someone who had loved him, the grandfather was - again - the young athlete who had been able to sweep my teenage self off my feet.

Beauty, innocence, joy, sparkle -- are truly in the eyes of the beholder.

I have had a summer filled with "beholding" people I have long-loved. Just typing this post is causing my throat to tighten, my chest to burn, and my eyes to tear up with gratitude for every remarkable planned or unexpected visit, connection, late-night cup of tea, conversation, or meal. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful gift. To actually feel the timelessness of love. To hear their voices, to see their eyes twinkle, and to feel their hugs. More of heaven on earth, I can't even imagine.

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes:

"Love never loses sight of loveliness.
Its halo rests upon its object.
One marvels that a friend can ever seem
less than beautiful."

Nothing has made me feel more timeless and ageless than this summer's adventure -- sitting with, and listening to, the hearts of people of I have loved -- and still love.

offered with Love,

Cate