The tear.

This morning I had an encounter that filled me with emotion. Have you ever been there? In a place – in a time – in a realm that fills you to overwhelming with emotion that just wants to…

Move. 

Move through you and move out of you. And, when it does, relief can thankfully fill and refresh so you can go forward to your next place – time – realm. Reality must be dealt with, so emotional interludes must pass.

But something remained this morning.

As memories rushed through me of days gone by, encounters shared, and life lived, emotions played their accompaniment. The symphony of life once lived in the past played briefly as I was enroute to where I needed to be and, as I prepared to leave the memories behind in my car and enter reality, I looked down.

One round circle looked back at me from my lap.

It was as small as a paper-punched hole; like a piece of my heart punched through that remained as one spilled tear in my lap. I couldn’t wipe it up, blot it up, or get rid of it. It simply stared at me, as a reminder of my humanity.

You can leave a piece of history behind, but you can’t leave memories. They will remain, ingrained in your inner fibers, and may exhibit themselves from time to time as pieces of your heart flow through your tears.

One tear. The reminder. It was a beautiful memory.