Many years ago I stopped for lunch at a small restaurant in a town I had lived in years before. As the waitress approached my table, I recognized her. She was Patty's mom!

I had known Patty during the two or three years I had lived there. She was as intelligent as she was beautiful. -- I say that I had known her; but in reality, I suppose I had never spoken an entire sentence to her. I was hopelessly smitten with a "crush" on her. One of my happiest days during that time was when I shared a stage with her. I sang a couple of folk songs during a beauty contest she was in. She won, by the way.

But it was a very small town and I had easily discovered that she was all but promised to some guy who was in college somewhere out of state.

I moved away shortly after that but returned a few years later to play an engagement in a small club there. To my amazement, as I looked out at the small crowd, I saw Patty walk in and sit down at a nearby table. Between sets I went to her table and said hello. But the wedding ring she wore spoke volumes to me. So I just thanked her for coming and retreated to the stage.

Patty's mom served me my lunch and we exchanged some small talk as she scurried around waiting on other customers. Then, when she came to collect the money for the meal, I told her of the awesome crush I had had for Patty. She started toward the kitchen but then turned back toward me and said, "Did you ever stop to consider that she might have felt the same way?".

Later, during the long drive homeward, I finally ran out of ways to mentally kick myself. I came out of the dark fog which had filled my mind and arrived at a decision. No, it was more like a resolution. I vowed then and there that I would always, ALWAYS let people know how I felt about them.

I have tried to keep that resolution - not just with regard to romantic feelings - if I just LIKE someone, I make sure to let them know. Admittedly, it felt a little strange the first few times, but my openness has usually been a catalyst for similar openness. It just seems to bring things to a new and better level.

"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot." - D. H. Lawrence