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Heartwings Love Notes 762 - A Valentine to Lost Loves

Heartwings says, "The remembrance of lost loves can enhance their shine."

When I was eight years old my dear nurse, Emily left to get married. She had taken care of me since I was around eighteen months
of age and was in most respects my second mother. She was a practical nurse. That meant besides looking after me, she helped
with household chores as well as driving me where I might need to go. She was a devoted caretaker and when she left I missed her
sorely. While my own mother loved me dearly, she loved me in her own way. Unlike Emily she was not a physically affectionate
person. Also she had much higher expectations of me than Emily did.

When I was twelve, my friend and classmate Sally went away to boarding school. A bookish, unathletic, somewhat plump child, I
had no interest in the things my classmates did, and neither did she. As a result from the third to the seventh grade we formed a
team of two, and I defended her from the bullies that taunted her for her shyness. I missed her sadly. She lived in a big house by the
ocean and our idyllic summers were spent swimming and playing tennis in her private court. Her freezer always held a tub of ice
cream and we could make cones when we wanted. When we reached sixteen and I began dating, despite my efforts to remain close,
we drifted apart. She had been my best and only friend. She remained distant.

Once I was married and had children I became friends with woman whose two boys were around the age of my two girls. We all went
everywhere together. She had a wonderful voice and we used to sing folk songs at our children's school. We even performed in a
contest. Very close, we spoke on the phone almost daily. Then for some reason she became angry with me and disappeared from
my life. For months I was devastated. Later on I had another friend I went to the beach with each day. Sadly, after several years she
went back to Germany and never returned. By then I was beginning to learn what it was to lose someone I loved, and how to handle
it; I was able to recover faster.

Throughout my long life I have had many opportunities to learn to live with loss. I had to come to terms with son's death when he was
twenty-eight, and as I grew older, my parents passing. More lately have come the deaths of others I loved. As time has gone on,
these experiences have helped me learn to let loved ones go with a more peaceful heart. I have discovered that I do not need to stop
thinking about them, nor do I need to regret their absence. I can take the images of them together with the memories of our time
together and put them lovingly in a special album I keep in my heart. Then when I wish to I can open it, turn the pages and smile as I
remember with joy the good times we had and the love we shared.

May you find ways to cope with your losses and to turn them into opportunities to focus on the happy memories.
 

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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