Description
From Chapter 47, “Giving,” of It’s Impossible by J H McIntosh — Act II: Soul to Soul.
Aaron’s earlier understanding of love is reflected in these lyrics from See “I used to think joy came when love came back to me.” He thought that love was “transactional.” Through his love for Belle he knows that love just is, it matters not what is received, love is, irrespective of what it receives. Loving another unconditionally is its own return. The song invites us to experience a gentle shift in understanding of love, where joy is born not from receiving but from giving. It’s a reflection on the quiet, transformative power of love, reminding us that in offering love freely, we find unexpected abundance within ourselves.
Lyrics
I used to think joy came when love came back to me,
But now I know it’s born the moment I let love be.
You might wonder what I’m doing when I give so freely,
It looks like I’m pouring out, but something’s filling me.
The smallest thing you receive becomes a gift returned,
A quiet fire inside my chest where joy is learned.
Give, and it’s given back, more than I can hold,
Pressed down, shaken together, the blessing overflow.
I don’t walk away empty when I give you what I can,
Every open-handed moment makes me a richer man.
It’s the mystery nobody ever explains,
How giving love is where the giver gains.
When you said, “I’m starving,” then laughed it away,
My whole world lifted in the grandest of ways.
Just knowing I could step in, do something for you,
Made me feel wealthy like kings never do.
I don’t give because you can’t do for you,
I see you’re strong, you know that is true.
One smile from you, one look that says “I see,”
Turns simple acts into eternity.
I know these words could sound dangerous if misread,
Like I don’t really see you, or the life you’ve led.
But please hear clear, my vision’s never been blurred,
You are resilient, capable, that’s assured.
You don’t need me, and that’s the grace,
I see it each time I see your face.
I’m sure you accept not from hunger in your bones,
But because the joy in me to give, is clearly known.
That look of knowing in your eyes, so pure so true,
Makes my heart say “wow” I get to do for you.
I used to think love needed room to be declared,
But sometimes it lives best in what’s quietly shared.
Expressions of love blocked on all sides, still free,
I love with care, until I can love completely.
Your eyes speak holy when words won’t come through,
And if it gives you a fraction of what it gives me, it’s true.
I once thought joy was being seen, or getting what I desire,
Now I know, it’s seeing, loving, giving… and staying near.
Because of you, I finally see,
And that has changed everything in me.
