Clair de Lune

I love the feeling music gives me when I allow myself to become immersed within it.  The music of Claude Debussy is one of my favorites.  The first song I knew of his was Clair de Lune.  In French, clair de lune means ' light of the moon' and, for me, that is the feeling this song evokes.

It feels like a small, clear voice in a crowded room, disregarding the din and hustle around it.  But as it plays,  one by one, the other competing sounds fall away until this loveliness is all I hear and once it has my attention, I cannot get my ears to look away. 

This gentle harmony leisurely encompasses my senses and is such a tender sound that I welcome it completely.  The softness is what I imagine a feather feels like while being buffeted upon a warm summer afternoon breeze.  Or immersing yourself in a refreshing pool that is exactly the right temperature.  All other thoughts are, for the moment, washed away and you are one with your soul.

Aesop Had It Right

I love good manners. It may seem that bad behavior gets a whole lot of press what with ‘real housewives’ and kids of one ‘shore’ or the other, but I assert that neither the ‘housewives’ nor the ‘shore’ kids are real representations of our true humanity.

When I look about me, I see true representations of decency and kindness everywhere.

I see the gentlemen that hold doors for their family and strangers alike going in and out of restaurants or businesses.

I see the parents offering infinite patience and answering question after question, while their toddlers closely examine whatever it is that has them so enraptured.

I see the traffic stopped both ways on a busy road while lost and scared dogs make their way safely across.

I see a person with a cart full of groceries allowing the person behind them holding one item to proceed ahead of them.

Quiet representations offered every day without asking for anything in return. Representations that never make the news, even though decent behavior is newsworthy.

To those that offer kindness naturally because that is who they are, thank you. On days when your will is sagging, know that your generosity of spirit is noticed and others are grateful for the example you continue to volunteer by your actions.

Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are. ~Author Unknown

Thank You Mr.President

I loved Ronald Reagan.  I thought he was absolutely delightful as a president and after reading the book 'I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan' I love that he was a man completely devoted to his wife.

Reagan's son spoke about how his Dad, the eternal optimist, loved giving the thumbs up and that one day during a Presidential motorcade a protester ran up to the car and flipped him off.  Without batting an eye, the President looked at Ron Jr. and said "You see, son?  It's catching on!"

I love how President Reagan formed a genuine friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev and that friendship is one of the factors attributed to the end of the cold war.  The picture I found is one of him belly laughing at a joke told by Queen Elizabeth.  I like to believe many foreign dignitaries found him a breath of fresh air.

He was nicknamed the Great Communicator and bestowed his gift upon all those lucky enough to be around him.  When his son, Michael, was getting married, the President put pen to paper:

"Dear Mike:

. . . You've heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the "unhappy marrieds" and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.

Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three a.m., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears. There are more men griping about marriage who kicked the whole thing away themselves than there can ever be wives deserving of blame.

There is an old law of physics that you can only get out of a thing as much as you put in it . . . Let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life . . . It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. If you truly love a girl, you shouldn't ever want her to feel, when she sees you greet a secretary or a girl you both know, that humiliation of wondering if she was someone who caused you to be late coming home . . .

Mike, you know better than many what an unhappy home is and what it can do to others. Now you have a chance to make it come out the way it should. There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.

Love,
Dad

P.S. You'll never get in trouble if you say "I love you" at least once a day."

He wrote love letters to Nancy all through their marriage, love letters she cherished long after his memory had faded; he was an old fashioned romantic.  I love that he was such a gifted writer. 

In one of his last public addresses he wrote about heading into the 'sunset of his life' and even though he was so very gently telling us he had Alzheimers disease, the message was one of hope and gratitude and love of country.  How very lucky I feel for having been a witness to his graciousness and good humor.

May The Fourth Be With You

I love the Fourth of July.  While I'm Canadian by birth, I've been in the states for a long time and year after year I am bowled over by the level of patriotism I feel from Americans.

After 9/11, you could see thousands of people at the military recruiting offices standing in line, standing for what they believed in.  Defending their country.

You could see thousands of people standing in lines at blood banks, standing for what they believed in.  Helping their fellow man with their own blood if need be.

You could see acres and acres of American flags down every street and down every road as they flew from vehicles driving down the freeway.  People showing what they believed in.  Their home.  Their country.

Some around the world say America has much to learn as it is such a young country. I say it has the vitality of youth and the daring brashness to defend its liberty. To say justice belongs to all men. To say that here on this soil, the pursuit of happiness is your right.

While I love the family get-togethers, the tug of wars, pie-eating contests, and three legged races, the cook-outs, lemonade and the idea of hotdogs (even though I can't seem to eat a hotdog), what I love most about this country are the people.  These amazing people so fiercely loyal and so generous of spirit.  The true-blue patriotism you show when the national anthem is sung and those F-14's fly overhead.  The thunderous applause and cheers you let loose to show your appreciation.  It sends goosebumps down my arms each time I witness this.

So, thank you, my boisterous, loving American friends, for welcoming me here all those years ago.  I love living here and couldn't imagine calling any other country home.

Two Wolves

My Dad sent me this.  I loved it, so I thought I would share...

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Bubbling Over For Buble

About fifteen years ago I 'discovered' Dean Martin music for myself.  I loved the feel of it and the fun of it and was a little disappointed that so very little music at the time was even close to it.  Harry Connick Jr. came about but didn't seem to resonate with me the way Dean did.

A few years passed and a new guy from Canada (Yay!) hit the airwaves.  Enter Michael Buble.  He talked about growing up with his Grandpa and what a gift he felt he had been given by listening to the standards with him.  Well, God bless Michael Buble's Grandpa because that boy can SING!!!

Not only does he have a timeless voice, he seems to be enjoying himself so much when you see him sing.  It doesn't feel overly-produced, it feels effortless the way he entertains the audience (the sign of a great entertainer).  I love watching the joy he radiates doing something he so obviously loves.

I love that I can sing along to his songs. 

I love that his music makes me want to get up and dance. 

I love that my heart feels lighter just listening to him sing.

I love that he unwittingly serves an as example of loving life by doing what you love.

Love Actually

I re-watched one of my favorite movies recently.  It's called Love Actually.  The first time I saw it, I hadn't even made it through the entire opening credits when I decided right then and there that it was going to be one of my favorite movies ever.

It opens with people hugging and kissing at the arrival gate of the airport and the voice over:

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that.

It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends.
When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love.

If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is ... all around.”

Just re-reading that gives me that prickly behind the eyes whoosh of emotion.  Those are the types of things I look for as my day unfolds around me.  Moments I'm lucky enough to witness and tuck away and pull out  any time for a feel good moment later.  Some are bigger than others, some just small little snippets of good humor and human kindness that I'm lucky enough to see.  The funny thing is that the more I look for these wonderful little moments of courtesy and decency, the more of them I witness.

I looked up kindness in the thesaurus and found forty one words that can be used in its stead:

affection, altruism, amiability, beneficence, benevolence, charity, clemency, consideration, cordiality, courtesy, decency, delicacy, fellow feeling, forbearance, gentleness, good intention, good will, goodness, grace, graciousness, heart, helpfulness, hospitality, humanity, indulgence, kindliness, magnanimity, mildness, patience, philanthropy, serviceability, solicitousness, solicitude, sweetness, sympathy, tact, tenderness, thoughtfulness, tolerance, understanding, unselfishness.

Forty one opportunities to look at things with a softer eye.

So, gentle reader, today I leave you two quotes that seemed fitting.  I couldn't decide which I liked better, so had to have them both (like two fabulous pairs of shoes on sale - who can decide!!!):

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.

~Og Mandino

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.
~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Doggie Sarcasm

We have a very strict policy of 'No Dogs On The Furniture' (insert HUGE tongue in cheek here).

Today Otis decided he was not only going to flaunt the rules, he was going to blow a raspberry at them. 

Exhibit A to your left.  Notice how he is stretched out on his back (under the ceiling fan, of course) laying ACROSS the bed, up at the headboard.

King of the castle/dirty rascal syndrome. 
I love my dog.

My Ode to Joy

I love learning new things.  Each day I like to unearth a new little nugget and be able to say 'You're my learned something new today'.

I remember reading Zig Ziglar and Earl Nightengale at quite a young age; I attribute this gift to my Dad as he never preached self help, but I was always consciously aware of it through him.  I remember he would wake us up in the morning saying "Good morning!  I feel happy!  I feel healthy!  I feel terrific!" 

Now having had an interest in this topic over the years, I found that I received a momentary boost at the time, but a lasting change from what I was reading seem to elude me until recently.

I picked up a book called 'The Astonishing Power of Your Emotions'.  The recommendation was 'anything written by these authors'.  I flew through it as if page after page was speaking directly to ME.  I couldn't believe how this information was resonating with me.  I then picked up Ask and It Is Given (same authors) and once again found myself racing through the pages, nodding yes to myself at what I was learning.

I have since read everything by these authors and am now reading something they mention in one of their books by another author and am, yet again, enthralled by what I am learning.  This has changed how I look at things, how I react to things, how I feel about things at my core level.

I feel forever changed by what I am learning.  Like I finally have a user manual for myself and all that is.  I feel liberated from pettiness.  I feel that everywhere I look there is something for me to appreciate, I just have to open my eyes & ears and there it was all along just waiting for me to wake up and notice its beauty.

Being reminded it is just as easy to reach for a compliment as it is a derogatory feeling.  It is just as easy to appreciate something as it is to criticize.  And the best part is with every appreciative thought I reach for, another seems to fall in place behind it and then another and then another until I am overflowing with amazing feelings of well-being. 

I have been brought to tears just thinking appreciatively about someone or something and how much I love them while doing this.  It is as if my heart swells and my spirit sings when I intentionally look for the best around me; I am instantly rewarded with fantastic feelings.

You know those first moments of 'new love' feeling?  That's how I feel when I look around me.  So blessed to be in this lifetime, with these people, with these puppies - I am surrounded by well-being and am finally cognizant of it.

So, thank you to Dad for having little gems of 'you can do it' in our childhood and thank you to Mom for being an everyday reader.  I believe the combination of the two has led me to where I am now and I am eternally grateful.

Abbracci Gratis

I love hugging.  My sister Debbie sent me this link to a video of people holding up signs that say Free Hugs and showing the responses they received. 

Apparently it is the brainchild of a man named Juan Mann "whose sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.  A simple heartfelt idea that makes a beautiful statement of the spirit of our humanity." www.freehugsmovement.org

In this age of 'stranger danger' and stalkers, where we are taught not to touch that or breath on another, it seems the physical space between us is fast becoming a chasm.  The want to reach out to others is tentative at best so todays message is to the huggers out there. 

The slight huggers.  The one-armed huggers.  The hug and squeezers.  The hug and back rubbers.  The two arms wrapped all the way around, laughing in your ear huggers.  The lift you off the ground they're so happy to hug you huggers.  This message is to them.  Keep hugging.  Thank you for putting yourself out there and risking rejection just to touch another's heart for an instant.  To help another loosen the restraint they have on their emotions.

To other huggers it is so very welcome. To the shy amoung us it is unexpected but usually well received.  To the Don't Touch Me crowd, it won't hurt long; you just may surprise yourself and like the oh-so-brief moment of connection you got to share with a complete stranger.  To those who have no one left in their lives to hug them on a regular basis, what a gift you have given them.

So very well placed at the end of the video (turn on your speakers):

For one moment our lives met, our souls touched     - Oscar Wilde

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8CKwdosjE&feature=player_embedded

Dani Questions

My lovely niece had some questions ( click here for her blog http://danisletters.blogspot.com/). 
Here are my answers:

1. When and where would you like to be right now?
       Where I am, doing what I am.  I am looking to be more present in everything I do.  So, whether it is enjoying the ride to wherever I am going, reading or even having a nap, I want to enjoy it all.

2. What's your favorite thing ever? (It can be anything.)
       The list grows every day as I am a girl and we have more than one of just about anything (shoes, purses... anyone?  Anyone?)

3. Why should I vote for you to be the president?
       Please don't vote for me for President.  The press is too invasive and I value my privacy too much.

4. How do you remember appointments and such? (I need some tips from this one.)
      My favorite way is to have my phone synced with my computer.  As I enter appointments in either the phone or the computer, as they sync, they are both updated and will both give me appointment reminders.  Easiest one I've learned yet.

5. Would you rather stop hunger or homelessness?
      Homelessness.  If people had a home, they could grow their own veggies in a very small space so, in my mind, this would help both situations.  That and I couldn't imagine sleeping on the streets.  It must be very scary for them.

6. Do you like things to be clean? As in SPOTLESS. (I know a few people like that...)
       I like things to be that way.  Do I like making them that way.  Noooooo.  I wouldn't mind paying someone to do it for me, though.

7. What would be your universal symbol? (Like with Batman, it was a bat. Obviously.)

              

A hot glue gun.




8. What's your motto?
       All that Glitters...

9. Would you wave back to somebody on the freeway?
       No.  It leads to men following you for miles.

10. When do your ideas come to you?
       All the time.  I like to have a pencil and a notepad with me all the time as I like to write and good ideas come all the time.  I am aspiring to a voice recorder as it is so much faster.

Inner Workings

In this story I'm creating, a man and woman who have yet to meet have been writing back and forth. He is a chemistry professor who (I think) believes he is the smarter of the two.  After a back and forth about simplifying life (her stance on why salt should be on the periodic table of the elements as SaLt instead of Na Cl - they are both four letters, she reasons, her way would be much easier) he receives this from her and considers re-evaluating his opinion about those with a Ph.D and those without.

I am going to let you in on a secret that could have my 3" heels revoked for revealing. What I am about to share with you is the Inner Workings of a woman's mind. No man gets a copy of this map, so don't go passing this around or posting it on the Internet. A few brave souls have learned some of it, but it's usually after two expensive divorces and at least one heart attack.

As you can imagine, most men are not attracted to a woman's mind, so I don't normally attach a picture of my brain (does this shot of my brain make my cranium look fat?). And I NEVER attach the key to the map. This is a first. Some items are Universal to Women and some are Woman Specific.

The Question Mark represents things we are willing to admit we don't know. Notice the verbiage. This is not necessarily that which we don't know, just that which we are willing to admit to not knowing. This area is not usually this large in most women, but I am a forward thinking woman. Things I don't want to know or learn also get stored here. Hidden in the depths of this area is the true meaning of why salt is listed as Na Cl and as a woman, I am honor bound to leave it there.

The Diamond represents my ability to be instantly, and sometimes mid-sentence, distracted by bright shiny objects -  the sparkling, twinkling sights and lights of Christmas are especially hazardous for my attention span. Rapid change of subjects are also stored in this location.

Which leads us to The Shoe. This represents my ability to spot cute shoes on sale at 20+ paces, with or without my glasses. This ability is not limited to shoes. Especially during the holidays, this section of the brain has been working overtime since July, constantly on the subliminal hunt for that perfect little intake of breath moment, of 'You shouldn't have' Christmas morning. There is not a dollar minimum or maximum (within reason) to this section as handmade/homemade/from the heart is often far more precious than gold. Or fine Italian leather, as the case may be.

The Lips represent my spoken and written ability to laugh/tease/cajole or verbally horsewhip as the occasion warrants. As I would much rather use my powers for good instead of evil, the last rarely makes an appearance as I would rather kill with kindness. That being said, I do not like confrontation, but will not run from it. The amount of caffeine coursing through my veins will determine the rate at which these words tumble forth. I do have an Internal Edit Button, but it is extraordinarily dusty, smaller than my G-spot & harder to find, and buried under 30 years of issues. (It's not to late to run screaming, you know).

The Heart, of course, represents, the heart of a woman. This represents the fires we would walk through for those we love. The tears shed for pound hounds that worm their way into your heart when you're not looking and change your life for the better in so many ways. I find this section of my brain squishing into the alternative areas that were delineated for other purposes as the more I give, the more I receive and I am blessed with some of the most amazing people in my life.

The Apple is for the teacher and is making a special guest appearance today on our map.

Self Improvement is in there somewhere, but as the book on procrastination hasn't been finished yet, an icon has yet to be assigned.

What???

I love word mix-up stories.  They are like a favorite pair of jeans that fit perfectly and never go out of style.

For years at Christmas one of our favorite Christmas carols was 'God rest ye, Gerry Mendelbaum'.  I never thought to ask, I didn't know where it came from, it was just a long-standing family inside joke. 

Finally, a couple of Christmases ago I asked my Mum just where that had originated.  She laughed and said 'You girls'.  Apparently, that's what the three of us sang when we were little whenever that particular Christmas song was sung, never realizing we had it all wrong.

Same age bracket, different offender.

SweetBabyGirl is about four years old and we're eating dinner at a pizza place one night when someone orders pie a la mode for dessert.  Delicious pie with a big old scoop of ice cream melting down the top of it arrives.  Eyes as big as saucers, fork in hand, digging in, BabyGirl is in heaven.

Fast forward a couple of months and we are back at the same restaurant.  Dinner is finished, the waitress is back to ask if anyone would like dessert and SweetBabyGirl (enunciating very clearly) states "I would like pie and a load, please".

Pie and a load it has remained.

She is so delightful.

I'd Like To Teach The World to Sing....

I like old commercials that stick with you.

I love the coffee commercials at Christmas where the kid makes it home for Christmas morning and wakes the parents up with the smell of coffee wafting up to their bedroom.

Or the Clydesdale beer horses playing in the snow. The beer companies usually break out the big guns in time for Superbowl so it’s fun to guess which commercials will be around for a few years - you have a pretty good idea which ones won’t be shown again come Monday morning.

Or, and this one will take you waaaaay back. The commercials for the Mrs. Beasley doll with her blue and white polka dotted outfit and glasses. Pull her cord and … “If you were just a little smaller I could rock you to sleep.” Oh my goodness!

“I’m a Pepper, she’s a Pepper, he’s a Pepper, they all Peppers, wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too? Be a Pepper, drink Dr. Pepper.”

I think my all time favorite oldie has to be the Coke commercial from years ago “I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company, that’s the song I hear”… (I can still see the people sitting on the hill swaying back and forth singing).  Come on, admit it. You were singing along by the time the first four words registered, weren’t you?

You will, undoubtedly, be cursing me at some point later today when you find yourself singing a jingle from way back ("They're Greeeaaat!!!"  Oops, sorry.  That's a slogan, not a jingle).  But you’ll probably have a little smile on your face at the same time, so it’ll be worth it!

Madam President

I love how smart SweetBabyGirl is.  My niece Danielle just finished her last day of school today.  She was asked to come to 'the office' and when she got there she was awarded the Superintendents Award for academic excellence.

I love that she tries so hard and it shows in the grades she receives and the amazing comments on her performance from her teachers.  I love how her teachers recognize her effort and create extra tasks for her so she won't get bored or stop trying because it's too easy for her.  Let's hear it for her fantastic teachers!

I love that she is the President of the National Junior Honor Society.  Although we now have to address her as Madam President and I have to learn how to play Hail To The Chief on my accordion - still ... totally worth it.

So, here's to you, BabyGirl.  Keep reaching for the stars and always believe in yourself.  You are creating your reality and you are doing an extraordinary job.  We are all so very proud of you and all you do.

Love,
Auntie
xoxoxo
 

Coming Home

I love the men and women who love their country so much they are willing to leave the life they live, the homes they built and the people they love in order to stand up for that which they believe.  

I love it when the planes land at the airport and you see soldiers coming home.  The applause that sometimes breaks out at just the sight of our brave men and women setting foot once more on American soil.

The cries of joy when a familiar face is spotted.  The little kids dancing from foot to foot watching as Mom or Dad gets closer and closer until they're let loose to fly into the waiting arms of the Parent who has ached to hold their little hearts close to their own.  Dads meeting their newborns and all the feelings that race across their faces in those first few moments of "Hi you, I'm your Dad".  These stalwart men who face all that is bad in the world, worn hands gently holding their babies for the first time.  Breathing in the innocence they helped create.  Silent tears sliding down chiseled cheeks. 

The hugs that go on forever and ever ... and nowhere near long enough, between Husbands and Wives and Boyfriends and Girlfriends ... and Best Friends.  Not wanting to let go because your heart has been without its other half for far too long.  All the 'Missing You' letters and emails and phonecalls culminating into this moment where you can't make yourself let go.  It just feels too good to hold on and be held; faces being showered with kisses.

The tears that flow unabashedly from strangers witnessing this homecoming.  Being grateful for just peripherally being able to feel this moment with them, the pure joy emanating from these families becoming whole once more.

While you may not be at the forefront of my mind every day, I carry you in my heart continually.  Each time a  plane lands here carrying more soldiers, a sigh of relief escapes me that another soldier has come home to their family.  Another Mom and Dad know their Son or their Daughter is laying their head on their own pillow, sleeping in their own bed tonight.  Another Husband, another Wife can reach over tonight and hold the hand of the one they hold dearest.  Tomorrow morning another little kid can race into their parents bedroom to jump on the bed and pounce on Mom and Dad to start the day.

Thank you to all of our Soldiers.  While I appreciate your decision to leave to defend us, I so love seeing you come home.

If I Were A...

Love this idea and as this blog is all about things I love, I decided to include it here.  I read the idea from Daniellie's blog who had seen the idea on 'the amazing Brenda's' blog so it's similar to one of those chain emails except you are not obligated to do anything. 

Bottom line is that it made me smile and therefore fulfilled the prerequisites of my blog.

If I were a month, I'd be December. 

Come on. Christmas lights sparkling, glittery presents under the tree, delicious smells emanating from the kitchen, this one's easy.

If I were a day of the week, I'd be Saturday.

Frank's home, we go for walks, wander art galleries, try new recipes.

If I were a time of day, I'd be 10am. 

If you wanted to sleep in, you've had the opportunity yet the day is still fresh for a world of opportunities to occur.  Did I hear dog park?  (Two sets of ears just pricked up).

If I were a planet, I'd be Venus.

I'm a girl.  This one almost seems mandatory.  Although I do love the idea of being Jupiter as it is the biggest in our solar system and has four moons surrounding it.  Kind of like cabana boys catering to your every beck and call.  (OK, maybe not exactly like that, but this is things I love!).

If I were an animal, I'd be Otis.

All Joy All The Time.  (That's his personal motto; it's on his doggie business cards).

If were a direction, I'd be South. 

Cold is North.  Fiji is South.  White sand beaches.  Definitely South.

If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be a porch swing.

Admittedly, this was what Daniellie put, but once I read that, I could not think of one piece of furniture that evokes a better feeling than a porch swing.  Excellent choice, BabyGirl.

If I were a liquid, I'd be the ocean.

Crashing against the rocks, surging onto the beach and then receding again.  Always moving, life giving.

If I were a gemstone, I'd be a diamond.

Nothing sparkles like it.  Created under tremendous heat and pressure.  Beauty from turmoil.

If I were a tree, I'd be an old oak tree.

A favorite spot for tire swings and kids playing hide and seek.  Massive branches providing an abundance of dappled shade for picnics or lying on your back daydreaming.

If I were a tool, I'd be a pencil and a piece of paper.

Everything starts when the pencil and paper come together.

If I were a flower, I'd be a hibiscus. 

So vibrant and visually conjures feelings of someplace tropical.

If I were a kind of weather, I'd be an unexpected sun shower on a beautiful day just long enough to cool you off and think 'where did that come from?'.

If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a piano.

Again this was Daniellie's but to be able to summon such a range of sound and call forth a sea of emotions from one instrument...

If I were a color, I'd be red.

All the colors of red.  Red is passion.  Red is moving.  And when you look at the spelling of red too long, you begin to wonder if it's spelled correctly!

If I were an emotion, I'd be joy.

Eyes dancing, belly laughing, can't hardly catch your breath joy.

If I were a fruit, I'd be a Honeycrisp apple.

Best apples in the whole wide world.  They are exactly as advertised in the name (the taste of honey and oh-so-crisp) and are only available here in October.  I believe we eat more apples during that time than the rest of the year combined.

If I were a sound, I'd be the sound of the leaves in the treetops when the breeze dances through them.

If I were an element, I'd be the wind.

Cooling you off when it's too hot.  Lifting birds up to play in the gusts.

If I were a car, I'd be a classic convertible.

Seats as big as couches, lots of chrome, room in the backseat for dogs to enjoy the ride, too.

If I were a food, I'd be seafood stew.

Loving soup and loving seafood, this, to me, is a winning combination.

If I were a place, I'd be the sky. 

The sky when you're laying on your back on cool grass, finding faces in the clouds, watching their wispiness float across that brilliant cerulean never-ending sky.

If I were a material, I'd be silk.

Just a whisper across the skin.

If I were a taste, I'd be salty sweet.

Salt on the rim of a margarita glass.  One completely different, but complimentary, taste right before the other.  The best of both worlds.

If I were a scent, I'd be the scent of something you loved from your childhood.

If I were a body part, I'd be the colon.

I hear a whole lot of 'Eeeewwwwwww!!!' right now but hear me out.  This is where everything that doesn't need to be in your life is swept out.  All the of the negative, so to speak, instantly eliminated from your life.  You naturally feel better at the most basic level when this occurs.  The eyes, the heart, I bet they get a ton of votes, but the colon really does an amazing job.

If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be something in beautiful Italian leather with a three inch heel.

You probably thought Birkenstock after the colon answer, didn't you?

If I were a facial expression, I'd be an ear to ear, eye crinkling, face splitting smile!

Hands Down

I like looking at hands.  I like imagining the world those hands have seen and the lives those hands have molded.  The road those hands have yet to travel.

When I was growing up, a large part of it was spent living in the country.  We had horses and knew quite a few people that lived that life.  The men usually wore gloves.  It wasn't for vanity, it was for protection.  Function over fashion never entered into the equation, it was just common sense. 

Throwing bales of hay or roping cattle, these were working men.  I remember looking at their hands when their gloves came off.  Weathered skin.  Calloused hands.  Nothing lining up perfectly as they had been broken in the past but continued on doing what needed to be done.  These same hands capable of being so gentle when calming a nervous horse, stroking the velvety skin of their noses, talking quietly to them until the horse lost their stiff-legged nerves and exhaled a soft nicker.  Large, strong hands absentmindedly scratching the ever-present good dog behind the ears while sitting on a tailgate at days end.

I like seeing the Mom hands of today in their never ending balancing act.  Kids and strollers and baby bags - oh my!  Snacks and drinks and things to amuse the babies all crammed into a (usually stylish) giant purse so Mom can, in-an-instant, have her hands on whatever she may need to calm the raging tide of child emotions with which she is currently dealing.  Hands making lists, hands reaching for the eternal/infernal cell phone, hands wiping "What is that?" off of faces.  Hands wrapping around little shoulders and rocking broken hearts and little hurts until everything is 'all better' again.

I like baby hands.  Skin so soft and smelling so fresh - no other fragrance like it in the world.  With dimples for knuckles, chubby little hands in their quest to wrap their whole hand around Dads' finger, hanging on for dear life while balancing precariously on still unsure legs.  And in that wondrous glance up at Dad's face, wrapping his heart around their little finger.

I like Franks' hands.  I see his hand when he reaches out to hold doors open for me; whether getting into a vehicle or walking into a building, his hand always preceding me to clear my way.  I am quietly reminded of his good manners and infinite kindness when I see those hands reach out to take whatever I may be carrying to lighten my load.  Ever the gentleman. 

When Frank and I walk, our hands, almost unconsciously, reach one for the other.  Where his end and mine begin, I can't see.  I like that we have our secret 'hand Morse code' when we are out and about.  Salesmen trying to convince us of the latest and greatest ... whatever ... a subtle little squeeze between us.  The unspoken code of 'Su-u-u-ure'.  The unseen squeeze of 'time to move on'.

I like when we lay in bed at night holding hands while the day comes to a close, quietly talking about the latest this and that ... or nothing at all.  It makes me laugh when our Pomeranian, Stanley (also known as The Chaperone), purposefully makes his way across the mattress to lay on top of our hands.  Keeping us honest.  My guess is, he likes hands, too.

Now We're Cookin'

I love to cook.  I like reading cookbooks and any of them by America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Country are my favorites.  The Cook's Country cookbooks actually give a little history lesson on the dish itself and then the variations they tested before coming up with the final product.  I trust those recipes the most as they are, for the most part, foolproof.

When I want to cook something that is not in my most trusted, many times I will go online and find a few versions of the recipe.  Then I read the reviews and incorporate those until I have my own test variation.  Frank is my guinea pig and never seems to mind as we usually end up with something pretty good.

When it comes to the actual cooking, I like hearing the sizzle of chopped onion as it hits the hot olive oil.  I like how fragrant the house becomes as layer upon layer of flavor are added to the dish until I hear "Wow!!!" as Frank comes through the door after work.  Sometimes, he tells me, he can smell the dish all the way outside when he gets out of the vehicle.

I like the creation of cooking.  Taking a dozen ingredients that look like regular staples individually; melding a little of this, a pinch of that and a splash of 'what is that I taste?'.  Bringing it all together as a bubbling, delicious dish of 'We are sooooooo making this again!'

I like the camaraderie of cooking.  Thanksgiving, Christmas or even backyard get-togethers all seem to revolve around the kitchen.  I've heard it said time and time again, it doesn't seem to matter how big your home is, whenever people come over, they all seem to end up in the kitchen. 

But, I think the thing I love the most about cooking, is that if you cook, someone else does the dishes!!!

Sweet Baby Girl

I have a niece named Danielle and I have been very lucky in that I have been included in her life since she was born. 

What do I like about you?
Why do I love you so much?
What are your positive aspects?

I like that you were a completely unexpected part of my life and yet I could not possibly imagine it now without you.

I like the way your face radiates happiness when I see you.  I like that you express yourself so well and that you are pursuing your dream of being a writer.  I like that you see the stories in your imagination and (seemingly) so easily transfer them to the written word.

I love that I got the opportunity to live the wonder that is Santa Claus for another dozen years because of you.  I find Christmas so magical and love that you gave us all a newfound reason to make it special again.

I like you that gently but unswervingly defend your friends and your convictions.  I like that you stand up for yourself and will not bend to social standards if it doesn't feel right to you.  I like that you feel the right thing inside of yourself and that you act upon it so often.

I love that you have such compassion for animals.  The fact that you so naturally defend the most defenseless among us resonates with me that your place in heaven in assured.  Sometimes I feel God acts through you.  I see selfless acts through you and it washes away the cynicism that sometimes splashes upon me.

I love that you include me in your life.  I love that we draw together or play Mario together or watch movies together or go to the fair together.  I love that when we spend time together, more often than not, my cheeks usually end up aching from all the laughing we have done together.

I love that you are so kind to my dogs Otis and Stanley.  I love how Otis looks around me for you when you come through my front door.  I love that when you're here, you're the first person he wants to see in the morning and that you're the last person he wants to wake up before he goes to bed at night.  I love that you are so playful and loving with both Otis and Stanley.

Your positive aspects are your patience, your kindness, your gentleness, your creativity, your loyalty, how much you love and that you're willing to let people know how much you love them.

I'm so very grateful to God for you; that He put you in our family.  My heart swells close to bursting when I think of all the reasons why it is so easy to like you and just how much I love you.