Let Us Love One Another

Beloved,

let us love one another,

for love is from God;

and everyone who loves

is born of God

and knows God.

1 John 4:7

Only Then

It Never Entered My Mind

Love Notes

Between now and February 14th, I want to post one love note, quote or verse to my blog in honor of Valentine's Day.

Let go and let love.

Simply breathing

Fer Lo and Behold!

My youngest son has been struggling these past few weeks in his language class as a sophomore.  I'm not exactly surprised at his shortcomings in spelling and basic grammar.  I knew this would eventually happen.  I've been begging him for years to read.  Just READ!  Read anything, everything -- SOMETHING.  Doesn't matter the type of book or content particularly, just find something that interests you and READ.  Not interested.  

When my sons were babies, I read to them constantly, hoping it would instill a love for reading.  In his earlier years, Zach wasn't as voracious of a reader as I was when I was young, but it began to grow on him as years passed, and as a college student, his appreciation for reading blossomed and eventually exploded.  He reads constantly now.  Gavin eventually began reading more as well, but not nearly as expansively.  I'm hoping Colton will cultivate a deeper respect for the eternal and limitless benefit of reading as he begins preparing for college.  

C'mon, son.  Don't let your momma down!  Read!  Read!  Read!

Misspelling of the Year for 2013

according to

Dictionary.com

furlough

It appears the most popular spellings from most of the misguided souls

furlo

furlow

ferlow

Really?

A piece of advice.

Igniting My Happy

It's Monday evening.  I wake up from a long, luxurious nap.  I'm chilled.  I grab a hoodie to snuggle.  I'm groggy, but rested.  I look out the window.   It's dark outside.  Of course it is.  It's dark outside.  It's cold.  And it's winter.

Find the light, T.  Ignite your happy.

I head downstairs to begin dinner.  I've planned spaghetti for my family, roasted chicken in hot sauce for me.  It doesn't make sense that I'm craving all of this hot n spicy food when I'm fighting hot flashes. What's that about?  Oh, yeah, I'd definitely appreciate a big ol' bowl of ice cream far more.  But so would my growing ass.  Nah -- stop.  I'll save that whine session for another time.

Waiting for the noodles to boil, I switch on the evening news.  Why?  It's always depressing, and I mostly try to avoid it.  Trouble on Wall Street.......Philip Seymour Hoffman dies of a heroine overdose; I remember his role in Patch Adams.  Talented but cocky.......and more winter storms on the way; they mention that Minnesota was hit with -32 temps.  SERIOUSLY!

Turn it off, T.  Find the light, T.  Ignite your happy.

I light a candle.  I watch it flicker and dance, the creamy amber hues of the flame casting shadows of the iron candle holder on the wall.  It smells good.  It calms me almost instantly..... Like listening to a fiddler, my thoughts turn from dark to light, doldrums to content.  Face it, who can listen to a fiddle and feel depressed?  

Bring your fiddles.  Light your candles.
Ignite your happies.

I close my eyes.  I dream that it's summer again...

I pour a cup of decaf green tea and choose a cottage cheese "blizzard" for my dinner in place of the chicken.  It hit my happy spot.

It's Tuesday.  I stop by the bank at the mall to make a deposit and then slowly make my way to Macy's.  Nothing particular on my mind.  I wander.  Minutes later I find myself in the jewelry section.  CLEARANCE.  That'll do it.  Let me dig.  After a few minutes of digging -- I'm a digger - love to dig - makes me happy -- I can't help but notice this voice , another digger beside me.  She sounds exactly like Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory.  She's going on and on and on ..... I sneak a peek to confirm she's real.  Yep.  I suppress a very big giggle.

I need new eye shadow.  Eye shadow.  Such a tiny thing for so big an impact to a woman's mood.  A beeline to Sephora.  The clerk kindly guides me through some pretty options. I want it all.  Every.Single.Thing.I.See.  Choosing a pretty plum and champagne duo, I leave there a little happier.

I next head to Bath & Body Works.  While browsing, the clerk shares with me a new scent of their summer candle selection that has already sold out.  She just happened to have a diffuser of the same scent.  Oh.My.Goodness. Unable to suppress a huge smile, it consumes me, teasing and taunting -- the most fabulous smell of summer!  I must have it.  I must, I must.  "Summer Boardwalk."  I assure her that I would be back when their new shipment arrives, and I leave the store obsessed...that scent on my brain...a daydream of summer in my heart... a permanent smile on my face.

Revisit memories of the best summer

spent at the beach with caramel glazed popcorn,

warm taffy apples

and salted sweet cream.  

Perfect.  

This will certainly do.

You've found your light, T.

Ignite your happy.

What Does Love Look Like

February, the month of love and romance.  And here already.  Some may say not soon enough.  It was welcomed here with a fabulously beautiful "tease" day, mid 60's with the sun shining brightly in a brilliant blue sky.  (Today we're back to ice and yuck)  Everyone was washing cars, walking their pets, tinkering in their lawns -- it was a day of rampant rejoicing.  On my way to the gym yesterday morning, the highway was dotted with countless runners taking advantage of this mild weather to get their run on.

Later I sat on the patio in the sun -- short sleeves! -- and soaked up its warmth and goodness while reading magazines and listening to Blank & Jones on Pandora.  

We ended the day with a fire on the patio, watching the sun go down.  I grilled pork chops and made a tossed salad with a light vinegar-based dressing.  A toast ...red wine...to this beautiful red evening sky. 

I replaced some of the adornments on my front door wreath with a big red heart.  It is that time, world.  Get busy writing your love notes.  Tell 'em that you love them. 

A love note a day ignites romance, they say.

As a hopeless romantic, I think of the time when lovers had to communicate their affections by written letters and notes when they were away from each other -- no telephones, not cell phones text messages, no emails.  You bled onto paper in your own handwriting.  It was real.  Tangible.  Drawn from the deepest places of the heart.  I've begun collecting some favorite "love letters" from Pinterest.  I will share them during the month of February in my blog.