Car rides through the countryside

you wait a lifetime to say words you need to say
in your self-righteous rage, you simmer
you prepare the verbal assault
anxious to release a souls worth of anguish and suffering
your heart has ached loudly, sometimes quietly
in the front of your mind and deep beneath the surface
you wait a lifetime it seems, to gain the closure you so desperately seek
then the moment comes
and your lips cannot form the words
your mouth refuses to move
you hold your tongue
because sometimes, silence truly is golden.
sometimes, what you have to say doesn't really matter as much as you thought it did
maybe it mattered before
but it doesn't matter now
the importance lies in your ability to be quiet
because in that silence you hear......
all the things you've waited so long to hear
the words you thought would never come
and it washes away all those sins
the anger and the hatred, the bitterness and resentment
had I not held my tongue, I may have missed it
and I'm so glad I didn't

our riches do not lie in the material objects we horde

the things we covet and chase

and worship like gods

our richness lies in our ability to love and be loved.
Love isn't something we give only if it is to be reciprocated.
Its a gift, not an obligation
Love is what fills that empty space inside that nothing else can
it makes us human
it sets us apart from all other forms of life
Love is where I find my wealth

Those 30 minutes of silence this morning
that long and quiet car ride
and the sound of a voice that was not my own...
it was humbling
and suddenly, nothing matters anymore
everything has changed
I do see things differently
I may still want, but now find no need
for all those silly worldly things
silence gains one perspective, does it not?

your sincere declaration of love, however faint
is all that it takes
from this day
to make this little girl happy