Open my eyes

You ever have something staring you in the face every day but you don't really see it?

On my desk is a silly piece of paper. It was left on my pillow one of the first nights after Deb and I moved in together. It's a picture of a heart with the words "I love you" written over it.

I glanced at it every once in a while, but tonight was the first time that I looked at it in a long time and paid attention to it.

It was written in pencil, pretty quickly. The writing is crooked, the heart isn't perfect. I guess she just decided on the spur of the moment to surprise me with a little note just before bed, because she knew she'd be asleep when I got home.

I stuck it up on my desk and it's been there ever since, through two moves. She even mentioned it once, about how silly it looked.

It's been up so long I stopped paying attention to it. It was just part of the room.

Tonight I looked at it and realized what it is.

It's what I thought I lost when her last phone message to me got erased. It's a permanent symbol of her telling me she loves me. And I've still got it.

Yes, there are losses. But there are some things you never lose.