This time of year, we think about the ones we love. Whether they are far or near, here or gone, we remember those that hold a special place in our hearts. I know I have moments throughout the year when people who have changed my life come back and I am able to steal a moment or two with them once again. More often that not, we are afraid of saying too much — of saying how we really feel because it makes us vulnerable. I have told people how I feel about them or whispered a secret and then have regretted it almost the moment the words left my lips. Has that happened to you? It is difficult to let others know exactly how we feel about them and what they mean to us. And this time of year, we might buy a gift or two, update the pictures of the family, or send a Christmas card. This is the season of giving and what a better gift to give those you love than the gift of knowing how you feel about them and how they have made an impact on your life. Do you ever feel like you say too much? Why do we regret after we say what our hearts feel? Is it because they will laugh at us? (This has not happened to me.) Is it because we are ashamed to love someone? (No, I don’t think that’s it.) Is it because we open our hearts to be real and the need to tell someone how you feel is right there? That it would almost be more hurtful NOT to tell them? If I tell someone, “Thanks for being such a great friend” or “I love you”, I do not expect them to say anything back to me..I just want them to know. Sometimes, we do not realize the impact we have on others until it is too late and if we do not take the chances to say all there is to say, then we miss out…not just on telling someone but by perhaps those that would say kin words to you as well. I find it amazing that we can make an impact on others and never know it. It doesn’t have to be a 500-word essay. it can be a quick text…”Thinking about you” or “miss you”. Your feelings will never go away just because you don’t share them, but if people knew how you felt about them, don’t you think that makes their day better too? Give this season…give your hearts away. They are not meant to be kept anyway, for they can never hold what they truly would say anyway. They would say too much.
Michelle Homme 2012 ©
