I got an email from my girl Kathy the other day. Just a short note while she was at work to tell me she loved me (as I’m so fortunate to hear regularly). She signed it about loving me truly, madly and deeply. A memory conjured for me.

When Ken and I first started dating, I was over at his place for a movie night. We got serious–but silly–very quickly. We spent much of our time at is place because of his beautiful Chow Chow Quantum. After spending only moments with her on my first visit, I immediately understood why I wouldn’t care that we didn’t spend much time at my place. One night Ken was set to show me some of his favorite movies, and first on the list was Truly, Madly, Deeply. He’d talked about it a lot, so it had really been built up in my esteem. He knew all the romantic lines. But as I think about it, I don’t think we ever finished the movie (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, need I say more?) But I still remember lying on the couch with him, pressed against each other watching the movie. Well, he was watching it. I was entranced in the moment of being so close to someone I was so newly crazy about; that I had such a handsome, dynamic, and utterly delicious man who felt the same way about me. I did my best to pay attention, but it was difficult. I was watching a different movie. About us. And I was riveted.

I don’t really recall all the specifics of the evening, but I do remember the sparkly newness of being in love. And being worried about all the ways I’d choke and screw it up something so seemingly beautiful. Though we had ten years together and became ultimately comfortable with each other, I often thought back to those early days–the excitement of learning about this man and what our future would look like. I think of that time know and I can’t stop grinning. Ken was a true personality. He was as smart as I was sarcastic, and I was as simple as he was complex–like a puzzle to figure out. Every day little tidbits of our interactions would reveal something new. Somehow, for me, he was always able to recapture moments like that for me throughout our relationship.

And certainly the title of the movie meant something for him to show me, and so obviously described our feelings for each other. It’s nice to have a surprise–just a closing in an email–that could evoke rich memories of just one evening sometime in 2001. A wonderful memory.I ‘m not sure when I’ll be ready to watch the movie, but sometime in the future I’ll have to do it.

It’s another example of a phenomena that I can’t help but wonder if it’s just coincidental or…maybe it’s him. I prefer the latter explanation.

My suggestion is grab your honey, hop on the couch and queue up TMD and watch your own movie on the TV–or in your head.