To have lived at least once
To do a lovely deed, something fine and wonderful, to be able to take it out and admire it as a thing of beauty, to unashamedly reflect on it as if it were not your own, even while it is indeed your own—that is to experience life! To do such a thing, something that remains the high-water mark of your experience, to do such a thing that is unmatched by any other thing in your life, to have risen to such a glorious moment—though you fell back to mediocrity at best—to do such a thing once, that is to have lived!
And to be able to take it out even now and consider its worth, to acknowledge its wonder and to be filled with joy and pleasure and pride at it—this is always to live. For always to have a heart that admires such goodness as beauty is itself a continuing wonder.
To know that for a moment there was in you what that deed or word or look or sigh or silence revealed, redeems a man or woman or girl or boy from the despair of utter darkness. And even now to hold that moment precious, to want to align yourself with such a thing of fineness means you aren’t as bad as even you might think. To long to love is to love. To long to long is to long and to long to love is to love.
Feed that longing! Don't let it die for if it dies you no longer live.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.