You don't know what love is

A couple days ago my friend Craig called me to complain about his ex girlfriend getting engaged. It's a conversation he and I have had before but usually it's about my ex girlfriends getting married. Having a woman you've been in love with get married to another man is one of the perils of dating.

The worst example of this was when Liz got married in 2002. She and I had dated for almost 2 years and she is the only woman that I have even considered getting married to. During our relationship I introduced her to friends of mine from college and she immediately hit it off with them. Her friendship with them continues still today.

I was staying with these same friends during the 2002 campaign. It was a great arrangement up until the day of Liz's wedding. They had been invited to the wedding and that morning as they were getting ready the wedding I was getting ready for work. It was a bit surreal knowing that they were going to her wedding and it didn't include me.

On my way to yet another parade that day, I was listening to NPR and they were interviewing Kurt Elling and playing some of his songs. I remember they played You Don't Know What Love Is which is about loving someone you had to lose. It was the perfect song for the perfect moment. I eventually bought his CD and have loved his music ever since but that song has a special place in my memory.

I say all this not to share yet another tragic dating story but to tell Craig that I can definitely relate to what he is going through. The good news is that I hardly ever think about Liz anymore and have dated several woman since that time. I guess time does allow those old feelings to pass away. However, the memory of those feelings keeps hope alive that I may yet again have that same romantic passion toward someone new.

To listen to the song visit this link:
http://orbitofmars.com/kurtelling/music/flirting_with_twilight/