Black Ink and Parchment

When love enters our lives, it is all about timing. Will it last? Is it the right time for me? For them?

This timing determines

whether our romances

are shooting stars

or constellations.

 We dream about lasting love, but more often than not, it is just a shooting star, streaking across the sky leaving stardust in our eyes as the sunrises, never to be seen again. But the memory lives on and we romanticize it. When we have a short-term romance, everyone is on their best behavior because it is easy to pretend for a few weeks or months. But they are called falling stars for a reason and remember, they aren’t seen during stormy nights. When difficult problems appear, the shooting stars we admire are no where to be found, continuing to travel their path and not caring if we are along for the ride. While you want this love to last, deep down you know it is just a fleeting moment. Not practical, but a passionate love that is

rose petals

chocolate-covered strawberries

trips to Paris

kisses in the rain

Thursday night drinks

Moonlight text messages

Love it for what it is. Understand it for it’s not.

Once in a great while, we receive a love that becomes a permanent part of our lives. At first we might think this is just another shooting star, passing by allowing a single wish. But then it returns night after night. You know exactly where to find it and before you know it, you find yourself expecting it, waiting for you. And it does. Never letting you down. Even if there is a storm, you know as soon as everything clears, that star will be in the same place. Then another star appears, marking some turning point in your life and then another starts buring. Slowly but surely you are forming a constellation in your soul sky surrounding that single star, and because of this person a collection of stars light up a part of your world creating symbols of hope, faith, friendship, and real love. Now this constellation might shift a little as our world turns, but the shape remains. We don’t have to wait to see it on a random Tuesday in July, at 10:02pm. We know it will always be there, a cluster of memories that were formed by:

Laughter on a porch

Chicken soup when you are sick

Vacations and funerals

Children and pets

Traditions and gardens.

Loss and Rebirth.

We only get a few constellations that speckle our sky.

One type love is not better than the other. It just depends on where you are in your life’s journey. You might have several constellations and one day a shooting star shows up. You might not chase it, but it is beautiful to look at it. Or you might just be looking at the shooting stars and one decides to embed itself in your sky.

Both types are important parts of our story. Every star arrives at different times and in a different seasons. All of them change us and remind us that we are worthy of love. No matter how fleeting or how long they stay, the stars make us wonder and wish during the darkest of times.

Let love light up your soul.