Love will find a way.
Darlin', love is gonna find a way,
Find its way back to you.

My long-time friend, a lifetime bachelor, married a beautiful woman yesterday. She, radiant in wedding-white silk and satin, and he, beaming and brimming with love and pride, accepted my small family in their reception line.

I know her only through him, but well enough to heartily approve of this union. I don't give my friend away to marital bliss to just anyone! Him I know from years of friendship and shared joy and pain; the buddy bond, so to speak.

Watching them brought to mind the greatest gift that we share with each other. The gift of love.

Love takes many forms, and often forms that we fail to expect. Love of brotherhood, or sisterhood. Love of passion, or compassion. Love for our children and pets. The deep abiding love of a soul-mate. Love for God or nature.

Love portends good in the world. It serves as an indicator of harmony. Love shines a light on darkness and hard times. Love covers my heart and soul like a familiar blanket.

I'm in love with love.

The precious moments we share with love in its many forms are the pillars that buttress our lives. Share your love with others - give them the gift of strong support in their lives.

She received the polite "I'm happy for you" hug that part-time strangers give at these occasions. He, the handshake-turned-backslapping tight hug of true friends. Love was in the air, for certain.

The heart-felt man-hug I gave my buddy last night reassured me that the world is okay. That despite the conflict, pain and disasters that plague us, love provides the buoy for the spirit. That true love prevails despite the trials, troubles and tribulations of this world.

That love will find a way.

Love will find a way.
Love is gonna find a way back to you, yeah,
I know. De-do-doo-te-do. I know.

Out-of-Date Update

Its been a long time since I rock and rolled,
Its been a long time since I did the stroll.
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,
Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.

Time rushes by like a bottle in the rapids; one filled with people, places and events! It's known as the beginning of the school year, and this ride is rock 'n rollin'.

This tumultuous year shows no signs of slowing down. We meet often (oh, meetings!), I find students to learn with and love, we travel on wild trips across the state, and my life fills with more than a little bit of chaos.

My desk is clean (again, for the twentieth time) only to be swamped with tests and essays. This is the life!

One of my yearbook editors, out sick for the last several days, visited my desk to conference about the photography test she made for the staff. We made eye contact and smiled, feeling dis-acquainted due to her illness, and it brought her up short. Her eyes fell quickly to my desk, normally awash in books, papers, passes, techie toys and other debris. It was at this point that her mouth fell open.

"Mr. D - your desk is clean!"

As if this were a revelation of the greatest proportion.

As if the biblical storm just ended and the waters receded.

I quickly pointed to a my in-box on the side table, full-to-brimming with newly deposited detritus from the vanishing flood. Today marked the end of the unit, due date for essays, and unit-test day. I'm so smart to ask for all of it at once, neh?

She smiled, handing me the stack of tests she graded.

Thanks, kid.

Once this flood is cleared away, maybe I'll gain a clearer vision of where we've been. Hopefully this crazy boating trip proves worthwhile. Perhaps I'll even catch a glimpse of the beauty of a stretch of silence. It may even happen before the next wave hits . . . on Monday.

Its been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.
Yes it has.