The Hardest Chapters To Close Are Often The Best Ones

I love the simplicity yet complex nature of books. The story line can be complicated and unpredictable, but there is an opening and closing to each chapter of the book that makes it easier to digest and understand. So, to understand my life best, I like to mentally break it into chapters. The chapters tend to separate themselves pretty easily. The people that were in them, the times they left, the places I lived, the adventures I took.

You were one of my favorite chapters. I learned more from you than any other man I’ve ever been around in just the short time we spent together.

You taught me a whole new language, how to cuss and sing and pray. It always sounded so much prettier rolling off your tongue, but you encouraged me to speak it enough that I soon caught my tongue rolling off the same words and sounds and it felt so good, so normal.

You showed me all the shortcuts back from downtown to our little piece of the world. You drug me to new parts of town where I couldn’t speak English and be understood, forcing me to practice my new knowledge. You let me teach you to dance and cut loose, and I drug you out at least twice a weekend to one of the scattered clubs to fade into a crowd and not have a care in the world except what song was on next.

I remember glancing over my shoulder at you, beer in the air, eyes closed, screaming along to Wonderwall. When the chorus was finished, you opened your eyes and brightly smiled at me, leaning down to kiss my cheek. I knew at that moment I would never feel that again. I am just thankful that I got to experience that in my lifetime, so for that, I thank you.

Our last weekend together I don’t think I will ever forget. You never left my side. We ate together, showered together, slept side by side, went out together. From Thursday’s breakfast until Sunday evening, there was not a second wasted. We both ignored the obvious, letting time creep by as we loved and laughed.

I still do not know why God puts some people in your life for only a short time, but I will always thank Him for the brief time we had.

I know that I may never know another the way I knew you, but I am at peace with that now. I hope you can be too, because I know that your favorite chapters can be the hardest ones to close.