The Last Time

“If I’d known it was the last time
I’d held on a little longer…
Let that moment linger
And never let your fingers
Slip away from mine.
If I’d known there’d never be another day
I’d of watched you as you walked away…
Kept you in my eyes til you were out of sight
If I’d known it was the last time.”
~Lee Ann Womack

It’s funny…because the entire time I was in NYC last weekend, I never felt tempted to call my Mr. Big. Never felt tempted to text him. Never felt tempted to reach out to him in any way…even though I was there EXACTLY six months to the day that I last saw him. I felt strong, I felt independent, I felt sassy. I felt bulletproof.

If the flip side of strength is weakness…tonight was my coin toss. My heart finally caught up to me.

I was on the way home a little while ago listening to a Lee Ann Womack CD and her hauntingly beautiful song “If I’d Known It Was the Last Time” came on. Suddenly I was back there on that Queens sidewalk, watching him disappear into a crowd of people as tears rolled down my face, wondering if I would ever see him again.

I haven’t. And something tells me that I won’t. More certain now than I have been in the six + years that I’ve known him…I truly feel that it’s over. We spoke once on Christmas Day and had our swan song conversation, and I don’t expect to see or hear from him ever again. Just as I knew in my heart every time before that it wasn’t over, this time I know with certainty that it is.

But on that October day in Queens, I had no idea. I look back at that girl now, the Mandy of six months ago, standing there on a sidewalk in a city of millions, and I wonder what she would have done differently had she known that the man she loved wasn’t just walking out of her proximity…but out of her life.

Would I have chased after him? Would I have kissed him a little harder? Held on a little longer? Told him I loved him one more time?

Would I have done everything differently? Or nothing at all?

The truth is…I don’t know. And I don’t think I wanna know. I think that’s why, in life, we’re never told when it’s the last time we’ll see someone or hug someone or kiss someone or hold someone’s hand. Life doesn’t come with an itinerary. Ironically enough…if it did…we’d never get where we’re meant to go.

At that moment, had I known it was the last time I’d see him, I might not have walked away. And I needed to walk away. The uncertainty of NOT knowing gave me the certainty I needed to board that train out of Queens and out of his life. So I can look back now in perfect peace, knowing in my heart that things played out exactly as they were meant to.

Last moments are special. Sacred, even. No matter what came before them, they are the moments you remember entire relationships by. But don’t be so quick to look back on last moments and wish you had done something differently. And don’t waste your time wishing you had known beforehand that it WAS, in fact, a last moment. You knew everything your heart and mind could handle at that moment. And you knew everything you needed to know to get you to the next one. Allow yourself to shed a few tears, like I did tonight, as you gaze back on those very special last moments in your life.

But then find your smile again in the comfort of knowing that the flip side of every last moment in one relationship is a first moment in another.

Because this is what I know, from the depths of my heart and soul:

There are no “last moments” with the people who are meant to be in your life. 

 

4 Responses to “ The Last Time ”

  1. Zimkita
    August 6, 2013

    MY break up is still very new. we both said hurtful things, did things to each. Had I known that morning was the last time, I’d have did nothing. All in the name of keeping the peace and holding on to someone who meant more than a lot to me. I know now for sure that him and I are over. I hate myself for it but it’s dne, I’ve realised that it’s over and daily, I’m accepting. It’s not easy!!

  2. Maryum
    December 17, 2013

    This article is just what has been playing over and over again in my heart and mind. If only I knew my last moment with him but lie you said “You knew everything your heart and mind could handle at that moment”. It was so good. I don’t know whether I’ll find out why but I’m glad these feelings are what others have felt. Thank you Mandy.

  3. Pauline
    January 29, 2014

    This article made me cry. I always thought of going back to the last moments we had and change everything. All along I have doubts in my decisions during those time. I like the part, “There are no “last moments” with the people who are meant to be in your life.” It made me realize that he’s not meant to stay in my life even though he’ll stay in my heart. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Also, your blogs made me closer to God again. Thank you!

  4. January 23, 2015

    Thank you Mandy for this article! This article made me realized that when and where was the last time that we are both happy but honestly speaking i did bad things to him. I feel that i messed up with him and ruined our relationship but on the other hand, Its not! Coz, He doesn’t love me since the day we became as partners. Eventhough i still loves me and our break up is still fresh but he’s not meant to stay in my life now. And thank you your blogs and your tweets made me realized a lot and made me closer to God. Coz for those 8 months with him. I really don’t know myself and even God. But now I realized a lot and I am willing to follow God and search for what’s God promise for me. Thank you so much! God bless! Hope you can follow me back on tweeter. @immaryclaire

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Something wonderful is on the horizon
Life doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. In Mandy’s upcoming book, Turn Toward the Sun: Releasing What If and Embracing What Is, you’ll find encouragement to live in the moment, sit with your experiences, and trust God with the unknown.
Preorder from Baker Book House for 40% off and free shipping!*
*US shipping only
Something wonderful is on the horizon
Turn Toward the Sun CoverLife doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. In Mandy’s upcoming book, Turn Toward the Sun: Releasing What If and Embracing What Is, you’ll find encouragement to live in the moment, sit with your experiences, and trust God with the unknown.
Preorder from Baker Book House for 40% off and free shipping!*
*US shipping only