October 25, 2016 – Toronto.  

Last night, Nagib and I went to a Dan Hill concert at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Dan Hill is a Canadian-born, award-winning singer and songwriter – the man of the soulful eyes and sweet ballads.  Nagib’s brother, Karim, gave us tickets to the concert as a gift because he remembered how much we enjoyed Dan Hill’s music when we were first dating.

It was an informal, personal, moving, intimate gathering of some 250 people, right on stage with Dan Hill.  It was almost like he had invited us into his living room to tell us stories about each of the songs he played. Songs about his complicated relationship with his dad, and his love for his mom.  Songs about falling in love and breaking up.  Songs he wrote when he found out that he was going to be a father, and when he was grounded on a flight trying to make sense of 9/11.  Songs he wrote and produced for Celine Dion and other artists.  It was particularly moving to hear a song he wrote when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer some 5 years ago, in which he wondered if he was making any difference in the world.  He talked about being born in Toronto, and living in Newmarket and Don Mills.  His conversational style was very Canadian-like: humble, quiet, vulnerable,  quirky, raw, honest, funny. Nagib and I held hands throughout the show, listening to the ballads, and feeling all the emotions in the moment.

When Nagib started to sing along quietly whispering the words into my ear, “Sometimes When We Touch”, it was almost as if time stood still, and we were back to the innocent, care-free days of University life in the ’80s.

All day long, I thought about the beautiful lyrics to these songs, and compiled some of the lyrics for the Love of My Life, Nagib:

 You are the love of my life
 And you are the reason I'm alive...
 I've never known love like this
 And it fills me with a new tenderness
 And I know I know I know
 You're in my heart, you're in my soul
 You're all I can't resist
 And I need to tell you
 The first time I held you
 I knew you are the love of my life.
 I spent a lifetime waiting
 Always hesitating until you...
 I was lost so deep inside my shell
 'Til you came and saved me from myself...
 As we stand together
 I promise forever
 'Til the day that I die
 You are the love of my life.
 
                         - From the song "Love Of My Life"

 Everything you are, everything you'll be
 Touches the current of love so deep in me.
 Every sigh in the night,
 every tear that you cry, seduces me.
 And all that I am, and all that I'll be
 means nothing at all if you can't be with me.
 Everything in this world
 Every voice in the night
 Every little thing of beauty
 Is shining through your eyes
 And all that is you
 Becomes part of me too,
 Cause all that you do, seduces me. 

                          - From the song "Seduces Me"

 In your eyes, I can see my dreams, reflections
 In your eyes, I found the answers to my questions
 In your eyes, I can see the reason why our love's alive
 In your eyes, we're drifting safely back to shore
 And I think I've finally learned to love you more.

                         - From the song "In Your Eyes"

 How can I forget when we first touched?
 Never thought that I would want someone so much.
 I looked in your eyes and then I knew for sure
 You would be my love forevermore...
  
                         - From the song "The Night We Met"

 There's not a thing about you that I'd change
 You're the fire inside my heart always
 Sometimes it's hard for me to open up
 Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough
 I love you now
 More than words can ever say
 How I love you?
 Just let me count the ways
 You're the fire, you're the passion
 You're the best that could happen
 You should know after all.

                         - From the song "I Love You Now"

Thank you, Dan Hill, for the incredible gift of your words.  And thank you, Nagib, for being the best part of my life.  You are the love of my life, my soulmate, my everything!.

– Munira.