Love Speaks Loudest When It Speaks Not

Some ten plus years ago, I, as fate would have it, met a woman with whom I still am close to today.

I had left my wife and was sitting in the kitchen of my sister’s house with her and a friend of hers, who had also recently left a 14 year relationship.

I was telling my sister that I needed a place to stay for awhile. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, this friend of my sister told me that I could stay with her.

This was told to me by her after she said, “Your sister assures me that you are not a serial killer.” To which I said…

“More than likely.”

Anyhoo….I moved in with her, and…we seemed to get along rather well, and had more than a few things in common. However…

One Saturday night a couple of months after my arrival, we were sitting on the couch channel surfing when we came across an ancient episode of the Red Green Show on PBS.

We stopped the surfing right there and looked at each other and had our C.S. Lewis moment:

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

And from that moment, things have never changed. She loves my quirks; I love her quirks, and we share many of the same quirks.

We like the same unhealthy food, the same beer, share a common sense of humor, and most importantly, we both think that I am the greatest person on Earth.

But seriously…

I was tweeting with my buddy Jayman Saturday night, and I joked that my post about my love for this woman would be my shortest post ever.

Jayman tweeted to me:

“The greater the love, the fewer words necessary to describe it.”

I agree with that, but his quote wasn’t quite all the way there in my description of the beauty of the relationship between this woman and me.

After ten plus years, my love for this woman has grown exponentially, but more importantly, the friendship between her and I is profound and undeniable.

The thing is…While I love her and she me; the anchor and keystone of our relationship is our friendship.

We have passion. We have a physical attraction. We share laughs, anger, and the ups and downs that all couples encounter, however…

Through the noise that those things can produce, the sweetest and most definitive aspect of our love and friendship has been and is summed up by, David Tyson Gentry:

“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.”

In spite of the passion, the sex, the laughter, and the tears…

The best moments are when we are sitting in silence on the couch, or driving in the car, or her sitting at the table as I pace through the apartment.

Oft times during these moments, no words are spoken, no gesture is given, we simply look at each other and smile.

I like that and I think she does too.

So here’s to Schmoop. It’s her 45th birthday. She still looks hot. She’s still is a wonderful person and most importantly…

She has been for ten years and always will be, my best friend.

Happy Birthday, Baby!!

Cheers!!