We Know How it Ends
I'm a big fan of musical theater.
The combination of storytelling and music touching the core of one's emotions along with the electric energy of both the performers and the audience never gets tiresome and never fails to make me feel everything so deeply.
I appreciate stories that make me ask the big questions, music that offers depth in emotion.
When I feel, I'm reminded I'm alive.
My local movie theater occasionally hosts special-events, including limited viewings of filmed Broadway productions. Today, I went to see a showing of Titanic: The Musical. As I settled into my seat, I realized this was probably a mistake...
We all know how it ends.
The production was masterful, however, and the subject matter was handled delicately. If I had been in a live theater, I would have been bawling my eyes out, but I somehow kept my composure.
The thing that got me--more than the sadness at the thousand lives needlessly lost or the greed and arrogance that led to this string of events--was the love.
In this production, we see lives upended, forever changed, and lovers and families ripped apart.
We see love lost.
We know how it ends.
In my line of work, I trust what comes after. I know love is never lost.
Still, my own life experiences have me thinking about this every day--the fragility of life, how precious it is, and to never take it for granted.
This is what I find myself grieving--the fact that we get to live this beautiful life and we don't use it as an opportunity for more love. We don't use it as an opportunity to build bridges and express the depths of our hearts and hold tightly to each other and what really matters. We could live a thousand lives, but it's here in this one I want you to know I love you.
It's why I will never give up a chance to say you matter, I believe in you, I'm glad you're here, and I'm grateful for you. It's why I repeat myself a hundred times over and over again, and I'll say it once more and mean it.
I'll say it until the whole world believes it.
You are loved. You are loved. You are always loved.
(This essay was originally published November 4, 2023 by Susan Dawn)