Today I had an epiphany: love is in the details.
This moment of realization occurred to me in today's morning meeting. The school year has officially ended today as we had our closing ceremony. Our school principal stood up this morning and gracefully said, "I will be transferring to another school and so will the vice principal." This is a common occurrence in Japan, as principals and VPs have to transfer every 2 years and regular teachers can only stay at a school max 10 years - but it didn't lessen the immediate sadness I felt in having to say bye.
I panicked a bit...oh my goodness! Today is my last day with them! I didn't even prepare a gift or letter! What was I thinking. How will they know I am so thankful?!
And that's when the epiphany hit me. and I sat at my desk and wrote this out in my journal..
So much of our flesh wants to prove our love for others, shout it out to anyone who will listen. We want to prove our affection and ensure our feelings are validated. We want to make a moving declaration and communicate our true emotions- but what i'm realizing is love and appreciation are not in these big acts at the end. Love is not these dramatic showcases, love is not the exits or farewells. True love, true gratitude, true thanks...is daily. In the everyday. The maturity is realizing this. Accepting that love is in the details. In every greeting, every conversation, every action, every encouragement, every thought - that's love. love was all the days I got to spend with these people and enjoy their presence and that is a beautiful thing.
Love is in the details!