“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” ~ Henry Van Dyke
A Vision of Love…
Whenever I start a new project, the first thing I do is try to find an image that seems to fit… no, an image that calls out to me… an image that screams, “choose ME!!!”
Of course, some subjects are so, well, subjective, that there will be a million different pictures screaming out at you!
As it is with a subject as deep as love.
So we begin the next book in the Grace trilogy with a thought.
An acronym really.
What does LOVE mean to me… what is just the word screaming out from down deep in my soul?
Yes, we will start there. Since I have written 27 different books, acronyms are easy, especially since I truly believe in the incredible power of actually LIVING what we say we value most.
If you claim to have real values but fail to live them every day you are alive, you are no better than the man or woman who values nothing.
The simple truth is that what we VALUE needs to show up as something more than just a list on some old “mission statement”.
As you will read in Grieve With Grace, we all are dying a day at a time.
The big question is, just what are you dying for?
What’s your mission and purpose for spending the only life you have to live?
As I frequently say, “If you are not truly living what you value most, you are trading the only life you have to live on things that simply do not matter. You are not living at all. You are committing slow-motion suicide… a horrible, self-inflicted death caused by a lack of emotional energy — better defined as LOVE.”
Which gets me back to the acronym I have chosen for this new book… LOVE…
Living Our Values Enthusiastically
Now, as for the cover image, that is still up in the air!
I love the smoky couple above — it is in the same family as the image I chose when Jan passed, the smoke from a candlelight love story that burned out way too soon.
My story was the typical tragic story of a 30-year love affair with a woman who was my everything.
But now, she is gone, and I am still here — becoming whatever God has in store for me.
To make the rest of my life, maybe not the best of my life, but a life of value… a life that matters.
And in my world, that means expressing ideas… kind of like the idea bulb image above!
But it also means expressing feelings.
Passion.
Compassion.
Magnetic attraction.
To touch and be touched again — the magic that happens when strangers meet for the first time and a spark of some sort is emitted… that over time, results in the fire of mutual desire.
Sometimes it’s the desire to build a life together.
Or just spend your remaining time together in the warm embrace of a smile.
The truth is, I want to write THIS book!
As these pages progress you will understand why.
I am in a very unique position to ask the questions that may have been rolling around in your mind for years on end.
Big questions that will guide your thoughts and decisions, and ultimately, stories that will guide your actions.
One idea is to do a Cliff Notes version of the top love stories of all time.
But, that’s been done, and while interesting, it is more like intellectual voyeurism than a good read that will move you to your rightful place on the Love Boat, so to speak!
Or, I could do what my biz partner Kent always wanted to do… write a book around the fabulous advice found in Country Music! 100 years of twang, heartache, and heartbreaks with just a little hope for that happily ever ending we all want!
Or, a truthful, honest, commentary on matters of the heart from an old man who lost the love of his life, but is still wanting to end strong… to end well.
The interesting thing is, I am also writing a TV series called LYRICS™: The Soul of Music. It is a twisted, tortured love story in the same league as Scandal, Revenge, and murder stories like The Mentalist or Black List.
No, this will be a story about love and longings. Our instinctive, innate, and insatiable desire to find love, be loved and love in return.
From this page on, we shall ride together as we sort out our own personal love stories.
The truth is, this is a great idea for any age!
I am glad you are along for the ride:)
Eric Richard Haas
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