In a dark auditorium, drowning in music, tears streaming, right hand enveloped by his:

feeling the past, present, and future all at once:

feeling birth, life, aging, death!!! in me and in every soul I’ve loved:

feeling Jesse and knowing our many lives together:

picturing a happy dog galloping across the sand:

radiating gratitude for every moment, every bone, every muscle, every drop of blood, and every precious breath:

I remembered the thing I’ve always known, but always forget to acknowledge.

I remembered that if you strip away all of it – my physical self, my social conditioning, fear, responsibilities, memories, regrets, desires, pride, intellect, ego – all that’s left

is love.