Give the Flowers Now
I've learned that some voices never really leave us.
They echo in our memories.
They appear in the phrases we now say.
They surface in the lessons we pass on to others.
Sometimes I still scroll past a familiar phone number.
Sometimes I listen to an old voicemail.
Not because I'm holding on to the past.
But because love leaves evidence.
The people we cherish continue to shape us long after their earthly conversations have ended.
I've also learned that one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is to love people well while we still have the opportunity.
To make the phone call.
To laugh a little longer.
To say, "I love you."
To forgive.
To show up.
Because one day, those ordinary moments become extraordinary memories.
And those memories become the flowers we carry in our hearts. — Maia Treleaven
"Love leaves evidence. The memories are part of the legacy." — Maia Treleaven