A River's Journey

          Close your eyes as you stand upon the shores of this mighty ocean let me take you back. Back through the peaceful estuary up the waterfall and up the teaming waters of the mighty river. But back even further up the brook to the trickling stream and then down deep ender the surface of the earth where you’ll find a tiny spring. Buried under layers of rock and dirt and the structures of humanity. So began this ocean, and so began my love for you. Buried deep within my heart under layers of doubt and impossibility. Restraints made of wedding bands already placed on trembling fingers.

          A tiny trickle of curiosity and affection slowly, weakly wearing away at the bed rock of my resolve to not fall for you. Then with a smile and a simple kiss my love for you sprang forth. It was still a tiny, weak little thing but it would not be quelled or restrained. It continued to flow making the leak bigger and bigger until it was a lake glittering in the light of a smile. Fueled by whispered words of affection, kisses, and gentle embraces and it grew in both width and in depth slowly persistently eating at the bindings of its shore until it burst from its banks in a hopeless wash down a sun baked, cracked, and dusty riverbed that once resided deep within my soul.

          Taunted by worry and heartache and driven by hope it continued to rush and break over the rocky bed faster and faster roaring in the ears of all that stood at the edge of the shore and cared to listen, but still unbeknownst to us as we stood waiting at the edge of a cliff shuffling our feet and waiting for some force to push us one way or the other. Then it came rushing towards us as the two rivers your love and mine joined forces and became unstoppable and sending us soaring over the edge of the cliff and plummeting with none to soft a landing into a pool of frigid water as the pounding torrent and the roaring of doubt and uncertainty and ridicule tried to hold us under, but some forces cannot be stopped.

          With a rush of passion and conviction the river rushed on carrying us with it fueled and fed by other trickling streams comprised of children’s laughter, joyous tears, and moments shared adding to the magnitude of emotion and assurance. Happily the rushing slows and the water flows strong but unhurried lapping at its shores and cementing its place in the crust of my heart as it continues to spread deeper and wider playfully twisting, bending, and doubling back on itself to renew its strength until, finally, it can go no further. Spreading out as far as the eye can see and plunging deeper than any beast can dive the tidal-wave of emotion resounds in my soul settling into an ocean set to last eternity. As the sun sets on our journey let me assure you, oil spills and hurricanes will undoubtedly torment its surface but the depths of the ocean cannot be touched, and neither can my love for you be tainted.