Valentines Day can be a confusing holiday. Most people view it as a day to do something special for the ones we love either through gifts or actions, and that's a pretty neat thing. But in truth, isn't this a day where we celebrate "Love" itself? Of course I think about my lady on this day and I try to show her just how much she means to me. But I also think about the "loves" of my life and how they've touched me and shaped me into the person I am.
I don't think it is uncommon for a person to have had several loves in their lifetime. From our first "puppy love" to our "soul mate", we have all met and fallen in love with, more than a couple of people. Myself, I've been fortunate in the fact that I have known the love of a dozen or so women in my lifetime and each let an imprint on my heart that will remain until the day I die. And I would hope that somehow I touched them in a way that they will always remember in a warm, loving way too.
When you think of the people you have loved, surely a bad memory or two will pop up during the process. It's sad that something as wonderful as love can be tainted by painful memories but, like most things in life, the rewards of true love are defined by the risks of hurt. The thing that makes love so wonderful is having experienced the hurt associated with losing a love. But today isn't a day for painful memories it's a day to celebrate love, and besides, the Lord has a way of making those painful memories fade with time while the loving one endure.
So today as I think fondly of those that I have loved, the "love" that made the biggest impact on my life was my "first love" Colleen. We met at that awkward time between being a child and a teenager. I was 14 and she was 13, and it was the winter of 1967. Like others our age we were just starting to experience all of those confusing hormones and feelings that come with being a teenager. I was the singer in the band and she was the pretty little girl with long brown hair and the most beautiful eyes that sparkled with flecks of gold, and a smile that lit up the room, standing by that stage. I use the term "stage" loosely as it was really the portion of the floor where we had set up and the rest was designated for dancing. I kept watching her through the evening as she'd dance, then watch us through the glow of the "black lights' and the flickering of the "strobe lights". Finally, if memory serves me right, she requested a song and the door opened so I stepped through it. Before long we were "going steady" as we used to say in the day.
Of course this adventure called "love" was new to both of us. Not that I hadn't had crushes before but this seemed so much more real, so innocent yet so passionate. She made me feel like a man just by being with me. Our love was one filled with hours on the phone, Saunders hot fudge sundaes, milk shakes, french fries, dances, choir parties, and a lot of making out. Now you have to understand that she and I were exploring love for the first time during the era of "free love" and flower power. And as much as I wanted to be part of that generation, she made sure that my virtue remained in tact but, God, did we kiss.
Whether it was the apple orchard while walking her home from school, a pile of coats in a room at a party, or on her mothers couch in the living room, we spent hours kissing and "petting" and I kept getting my hands slapped for trying to steal "second" base. Little did I know the impact all of this was having on me. We perfected the art of making our and driving each other crazy....then retreating individually to the cold shower. But I loved to kiss that girl. Her kisses made me melt. And it was from that point on that kissing became a basic measurement for all of the women in my life that followed.
Now as I said, I have been a very fortunate man when it comes to women. I had two very beautiful and provocative spouses. In the times before and after my two marriages I have had the pleasure of dating some very beautiful and fascinating women including models, attorneys, executives, performers and women from all walks of life. But I lost track of how many never made it past the first date because they couldn't kiss, at least to my standard. That's how much of an impact that first love had on me.
Colleen and I still talk to this day from time to time but I'm not sure I ever revealed this little secret to her. She set the tone for everyone else because of the way she drove me wild with those kisses. Now don't get me wrong, every other woman I've loved has also contributed to how I view the perfect woman, it's just that I think our first love is the one that effected us the most. In any event I doubt I will ever forget those memories from back in 1968 and 1969, they set the tone for my life.
I hope you all have wonderful memories as well....
I don't think it is uncommon for a person to have had several loves in their lifetime. From our first "puppy love" to our "soul mate", we have all met and fallen in love with, more than a couple of people. Myself, I've been fortunate in the fact that I have known the love of a dozen or so women in my lifetime and each let an imprint on my heart that will remain until the day I die. And I would hope that somehow I touched them in a way that they will always remember in a warm, loving way too.
When you think of the people you have loved, surely a bad memory or two will pop up during the process. It's sad that something as wonderful as love can be tainted by painful memories but, like most things in life, the rewards of true love are defined by the risks of hurt. The thing that makes love so wonderful is having experienced the hurt associated with losing a love. But today isn't a day for painful memories it's a day to celebrate love, and besides, the Lord has a way of making those painful memories fade with time while the loving one endure.
So today as I think fondly of those that I have loved, the "love" that made the biggest impact on my life was my "first love" Colleen. We met at that awkward time between being a child and a teenager. I was 14 and she was 13, and it was the winter of 1967. Like others our age we were just starting to experience all of those confusing hormones and feelings that come with being a teenager. I was the singer in the band and she was the pretty little girl with long brown hair and the most beautiful eyes that sparkled with flecks of gold, and a smile that lit up the room, standing by that stage. I use the term "stage" loosely as it was really the portion of the floor where we had set up and the rest was designated for dancing. I kept watching her through the evening as she'd dance, then watch us through the glow of the "black lights' and the flickering of the "strobe lights". Finally, if memory serves me right, she requested a song and the door opened so I stepped through it. Before long we were "going steady" as we used to say in the day.
Of course this adventure called "love" was new to both of us. Not that I hadn't had crushes before but this seemed so much more real, so innocent yet so passionate. She made me feel like a man just by being with me. Our love was one filled with hours on the phone, Saunders hot fudge sundaes, milk shakes, french fries, dances, choir parties, and a lot of making out. Now you have to understand that she and I were exploring love for the first time during the era of "free love" and flower power. And as much as I wanted to be part of that generation, she made sure that my virtue remained in tact but, God, did we kiss.
Whether it was the apple orchard while walking her home from school, a pile of coats in a room at a party, or on her mothers couch in the living room, we spent hours kissing and "petting" and I kept getting my hands slapped for trying to steal "second" base. Little did I know the impact all of this was having on me. We perfected the art of making our and driving each other crazy....then retreating individually to the cold shower. But I loved to kiss that girl. Her kisses made me melt. And it was from that point on that kissing became a basic measurement for all of the women in my life that followed.
Now as I said, I have been a very fortunate man when it comes to women. I had two very beautiful and provocative spouses. In the times before and after my two marriages I have had the pleasure of dating some very beautiful and fascinating women including models, attorneys, executives, performers and women from all walks of life. But I lost track of how many never made it past the first date because they couldn't kiss, at least to my standard. That's how much of an impact that first love had on me.
Colleen and I still talk to this day from time to time but I'm not sure I ever revealed this little secret to her. She set the tone for everyone else because of the way she drove me wild with those kisses. Now don't get me wrong, every other woman I've loved has also contributed to how I view the perfect woman, it's just that I think our first love is the one that effected us the most. In any event I doubt I will ever forget those memories from back in 1968 and 1969, they set the tone for my life.
I hope you all have wonderful memories as well....
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