A CHRISTMAS MEMORY

It was in December. A few years back. Jewel, the woman I love, and I had driven to a small town by the sea to see a film.

We arrived early, so I parked the car in a darkened lot near the theatre. We decided to take a walk through town first and look in the store windows.

As we approached the main street, we came to a secluded alcove. Feeling romantic and being very much in love, I led Jewel into the alley, enclosed her in my arms, and kissed her deeply.

It was wonderful! Here I was with the one I loved with all my heart, alone together, in the cold, yet during the Christmas Season, a time of giving, a time of gifts. Jewel’s gift to me was the warmth of her love. Mine to her was my ardor, the strength and depth of my feelings for her.

We exited the alcove and proceeded into the main street.

A marvelous sight! The street was ablaze with white lights! All along the length of the road they had strung tiny, brilliant white bulbs in the tree branches. Every tree looked as if it were covered in shining ice.

Light glittered from each branch. Since there were no leaves, we saw the outline of bare twigs against the dark sky -- shimmering skeletons in space.

We both stopped. It was breathtaking.

I couldn’t resist it. Even out in the open, on the main street, I enclosed Jewel again in my arms, pressed my lips to hers, and kissed her again and again, fondly, deeply, with all the love I had in my heart.

She returned my kisses, loving, a beauty with blond hair blowing in the wind, her smile and laughter contagious as I stepped away.

Just then a car passed and tooted its horn three times. The driver smiled and waved. We waved back.

We continued our walk. Yet, just a few more moments passed before I wanted again to express my feelings for the lovely woman I adored in the perfect atmosphere of Christmas.

I drew her close to me again, kissed her for a longer time, as if sensing that this moment could not last forever.

Our last kiss was interrupted by another car’s passing. Again the driver honked, but this time he laughed, “We don’t DO that in…”

Jewel and I smiled. We were in love. We were simply doing what lovers do: expressing the warmth within.
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Now years have passed. The words of a song by Frank Sinatra come to mind:

“Where are you?
Where have you gone without me?
I thought you cared about me.
Where are you?

Where's my heart?
Where is the dream we started?
I can't believe we're parted.
Where are you?

When we said good-bye, love,
What had we to gain?
When I gave you my love,
Was it all in vain?

All life through
Must I go on pretending?
Where is that happy ending?
Where are you?
Where are you?”

Today in the wintry season they have again placed strings of white lights in those same trees in that little town by the sea.

However, my Jewel is gone away...

If I had but one wish today, it would be to relive those magical moments when our love was vibrantly alive, when we were so close, when we dared express our feelings openly without regret.

Or as another has expressed it better than I (Song of Solomon 8:7) :

“Many waters cannot quench love,
Neither can the floods drown it.”