Sometimes life has a way of circling back when you least expect it. You’re driving along, mind focused on bills, work, or a dozen other small responsibilities, and then, suddenly, a familiar car, a familiar face, a heartbeat you once knew by memory.
That happened to me today.
She didn’t see me, or maybe she did and pretended not to. Either way, for the first time since she left, I saw her again. And even through the mirror, that small pane of glass between then and now, she was still beautiful in my eyes. The same gleam in her eyes, the same smile that could calm any storm inside me.
She didn’t have to look at me for me to see her.
Even in the mirror, her smile caught the light
that same gleam that once steadied my heart.
Some people fade when they leave;
she only glows brighter in the distance.
It’s strange how love works. Some people come into your life for a season; others take root in your soul. Even when they’re gone, their presence remains, not as a wound, but as a whisper of what was real.
I don’t carry bitterness, only gratitude. Because even if God’s plan keeps us apart, I believe He used her to awaken something beautiful in me, patience, forgiveness, and a deeper understanding of love that doesn’t demand, it simply endures.
I’ve learned that not everyone who leaves is meant to return. Some vanish into the pages of our past, leaving behind quiet lessons and soft echoes. And that’s okay. Their absence still shapes our strength, their memory still softens our hearts.
If there’s one thing faith teaches, it’s that nothing is wasted in God’s timing. Every meeting, every heartbreak, every glance in the rearview mirror serves a purpose. Maybe it’s not about who comes back, but about who we become after they’ve gone.
So I’ll keep driving forward, grateful for the glimpse, thankful for the beauty I once knew, and the peace I’m still learning to hold.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” — Romans 8:28
Love, like faith, often grows strongest in the spaces where words are no longer spoken. And even if she never looks back, I’ll keep trusting that every chapter, even the ones that end, are still part of a greater story written by the Author who never makes mistakes.
Troy P Zehnder 