True appreciation for another person should be not merely unselfish — it should be expressed through promises freely given, with nothing asked in return. Consider the contrast between Lon and Noah in The Notebook: Lon offers Allie comfort and security, yet never makes her promises. Noah, by contrast, does — though only partial ones. The passages below explore what a fuller promise might look like.
Turn to Me — Look Into My Eyes When Bad Things Happen
I Have the Conviction That It Was This World, Not You
Take my conviction that there is both right and wrong in this world. Whenever you have a tear of sorrow, please look to me. Turn your back on this world, and please allow me to gently touch that tear of sorrow — I will place it on my heart to have and hold forevermore. I will make it a part of me: my very core, my will, who I am. Forever I will carry it with me.
Take my belief that this world has wrong in it, and that you may have simply been wronged. It is not you — it is this world. Take my strength. Take my courage. Take all of it. I will be replenished, and when you turn your back on this world and look into my eyes, we will both grow stronger. I freely give you all my hope — take it as a gift, for I ask nothing in return. Turn your back on a world of trickery, manipulation, and deception — all designed to lead you away from your true path.
Total Trust
Total trust I give to you. Loyalty I give to you. Forever friends and companions — no lonely nights. You and I can, and shall, fall in love together. And we will know that true love is real: true loyalty, true trust, and never any doubts — as long as you are facing me.
— Continued Next Week —
Bob Parrish is a Longboat Key resident.
