~LOVING~

Roma Downey's very beautiful version of this song.

To be in love, however briefly is to be truly, wonderfully alive.
Never to have loved is to leave the map of your soul uncharted, unexplored; 
but be aware, before embarking on your heart’s voyage of discovery,
that there will be stormy seas, and troubled waters before you reach
the island paradise of your dreams.
You cannot know the ecstasies of loving without having suffered its agonies. 
Only when you have waited, cold and lonely, through the hours of night,
will you truly savor the morning sun, feeling its warmth caress your body,
and before you can fly like an eagle high and free in the endless blue sky,
you must know what it is to be helpless, hopeless, lost and grounded. 
But oh! be not afraid of love, be ready, be always ready;
and when the spirit of true love comes to you
embrace him, embrace him unashamedly;
let him possess you, body and soul, and he will take you to places
you have never even imagined and you will feel,
in every fiber of your being, as you've never, felt before.
Allow yourself to be happy and acknowledge that you are.
Cherish each and every moment, for they will never come again.
Time rushes by for lovers,
and the simple gesture of today is the treasured memory of tomorrow. 
Give and receive freely, remember you are blessed to be loved,
but doubly blessed when you love in return.

WORDS BY PHIL COULTER