My funny Valentine

Sweet, comic Valentine.  You make me smile with my heart...

Ofttimes our greatest blessings are right in front of our eyes.  We tend to forget that, until some small sweet reminder peels away the blindness and wakens us to the hidden truth. 

It isn't a new concept that once the children leave the nest, mama and papa bird will look at each other skeptically, and ask ,Who are You?  Do I know You?  It hasn't exactly been that way with Brian and I, but I have been looking at my husband with new eyes.  Am I seeing the man I fell in love with twenty-seven years ago?  Well, not exactly.  We've both changed a little.

I do see an extraordinary man, though.  One that successfully balances his work, his family, and his church service.  Even if the hours don't seem to be dispersed fairly; even though I seem to sit home alone most of the time, I cannot deny that everything he does when he is away from me is ultimately for my benefit, my welfare, my advantage.

I don't know of a better father.  He is completely devoted to his children.  They are his greatest joy.  Brian has a unique way of sharing his love for them.  It may not be in the words he speaks, but every action, every concern, every prayer indicates they are the center of his universe.

Brian often misquotes the lovely words of the poet Robert Browning, immmortalized in a Bette Midler song:  Grow old along me; the best is yet to be.  Brian's version is "Grow old and die with me".  Not quite as comforting as the original, but I know in his silly way, he is telling me that we are in this for the long haul.  No matter that we spend a lot of our time complaining to each other about the aches and pains of getting old and pathetic, we have chosen to do it together and we intend to make the most of it.  And we do!  Just this morning he asked me how I felt about going to Africa?  What?!  Well, my dear, if that is where we can best be of service, then digging ditches in Africa it is, or wherever else we end up.  As long as we are at one another's side, we can do anything.

Why was I so blessed to find Brian Haws?  He has been an ideal husband.  I can number the rough patches in our marriage on one hand, and only minor ones at that.  Not bad considering the heartache that is evident on every side.  Good marriages are about give and take.  Thankfully Brian has done most of the giving, and most of the taking my weaknesses in stride and overlooking them.

Thank you for letting me post my love letter publicly.  A girl sometimes feels that she wants to declare her love from the mountaintops. 

Don't change a hair for me, not if you care for me.  Stay, little Valentine, stay!  Each day is Valentines Day.

I have started down the road.

I really have.  Which road?  I have decided to write a book!  Because of all the encouraging feedback I have received from my faithful blog readers, I have decided that the next part of my quest will be to chase the dream of authorship.

I have already spoken on the phone with two publishing companies to learn a little more about the process.  The new opportunities that exist now with "Printing on Demand" have made the dream much more accessible.

I am excited about the possibilities.  I am anxious about the challenges.  I am intrigued by the opportunity for growth.

Early this morning, while lying in my cozy bed, my mind was filled with so many possible ideas that I simply couldn't stay in bed any longer.  I immediately went into my scrapbook room, sat down at the computer and began typing.  This past week I have started a new regimen of steady writing, with no pauses for corrections or contemplation, to be sustained for at least 10 minute periods.  It is called Free Writing and the idea is to just use writing as an impetus for thought.  Simply the process of writing invites the flow of ideas.  Nothing wakes up the brain quite like simply typing to see what comes out.

It has been an enlightening exercise.  It doesn't matter that most of what comes out is "garbage".  The point then is to be able to sift through the garbage to find the pearls, to discover the treasure that lurks among the nonsense.

A timid person (who me?) would keep this dream to herself until it showed more signs of fruition.  I am deciding to do the bold thing by announcing my intention.  If I fail, I choose to do so before an audience.  I know how to light a fire under my own backside:  Accountability!

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.  I feel like this will be my adventure to share with all of you.  Please join me as I embark upon this journey.  Who knows where it will lead?

For those following along...

I got my new old typewriter!  And it is beautiful!  I am in awe, really.

When I unpacked it from the huge box yesterday, carefully crammed with the most newspaper balls I have ever seen, I felt like a kid on Christmas.

The case had obviously seen a lot of handling, and a lot of moving about.  I fumbled with the mechanism to open it.  Eventually figured out the old-fashioned latches.

When I opened the case, the typewriter took my breath away.  Gorgeous!  I was immediately taken with the lovely color; surprised by its shine; awed by its newness.  I doubt that it was ever removed from its case throughout all its years.  No scratches, no sign of rust, no wear and tear at all.

After admiring its appearance, I grabbed some printer paper and put it to the test.  It works!  Smooth and easy.  All the keys worked, all the knobs and levers and buttons did everything they were supposed to.  Even the bell chimed when I reached the end of the first line, prompting me to use the return bar to start a new line.  Fun, fun, fun.  Oh, how it took me back to the good old days when one needed very strong fingers, especially pinkies, to hold down the shift key to make a capital "A".

As promised on ebay, it was in mint condition.  Even the aging typewriter ribbon still has some life in it.  Hopefully it won't be too difficult to find replacement ribbons as needed because I intend to use this little beauty.  It will sit next to my computer in my scrapbook room.  Oftentimes I have felt a typewriter would be quite useful when trying to print on something other than 8.5 x 11 paper.

Sometimes there is nothing so powerful as a bit of nostalgia, a momentary backward glance at how life used to be.  The reminders are there, too, of how most things have gotten easier, been improved.  That was very apparent when I hit a wrong letter and wasn't able to find any delete key to make immediate, easy corrections.  Things have certainly changed with the times, but if we are wise, we will pause occasionally to remember and cherish the building blocks of our lives, the tools used to set the foundations that we continue to build upon.

I love my typewriter, but most of all I love the memory of a similar one used years ago that bore the fingerprints of my grandmother as well as my own.  I love that I was able to learn to type.  It opened up a world for me that has filled my life with joy.  Now I just need to strengthen my pinkies again...

Waiting for the Cat

"The sun did not shine.

It was too wet to play.

So (I) sat in the house

All that cold, cold, wet day."

Who can ever forget those immortal opening lines from that beloved childhood book, "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss?  I am sure at one point in my life I could have recited it perfectly from memory based on the countless times I read it myself as a child, and the similarly numerous times I read it to my children.

My husband's parting words to me this morning were "Have fun!".  In pondering that directive, my mind wandered to this book.  Ah, what to do, what to do? 

As an adult, I have begun looking at this delightful children's book in a new light.  So who is this Cat in the Hat?  Perhaps he isn't some energetic anthropomorphic cat that pays visit to a fortunate few; maybe he is our own imagination, creativity, mischieviousness even, and sense of fun all rolled into one?  Perhaps life is more about tapping into our personal Cat in the Hat, rather than sitting, sitting, sitting waiting for outside influences to show up and entertain us.

As a mother of several children I often felt it was my role to be the Cat and come up with ways to keep everyone happy and engaged.  Eventually they learned to make their own fun most of the time, or found ways to be occupied with outside interests.  From time to time though, I think they still look to me when they are bored, or sad, or fidgety, or broke...

I am the woman who loves her life.  I needn't sit and pine and wait for life to sweep me up in some grand adventure.  I am quite capable of making my own fun, discovering my own talents and diversions, sharing my ideas and energy with others, as wanted.  I am my own Cat in the Hat. 

I'm not gonna lie though.  It sure would be nice sometimes if there were a magical machine to come along behind me and clean up my messes.

So when my husband comes home and asks what I did today, perhaps I will look up innocently from a book, seated in my favorite chair in front of the fire, shrug my shoulders and say "not much", but you and I will know that perhaps the recently tidied home is just a ruse that shows no sign of the mayhem that really occurred during my day...;-)

Can you tell who's who?

Okay, so maybe the flowered pajamas are a give away, but I think they are very similar.  The pretty one is my granddaughter Miss Evelyn at around 7 months, and the pretty boy is my son, Robert, at around 7 months.

"Blue Eyes.....Baby's got blue eyes...."

Okay, here's one more.

If you have any guesses on this one, leave a comment.

I must add that this picture won a Gerber Baby contest in a magazine.  Isn't he a cutie?

Speaking Heart-to-Heart

What do you think of when you hear "May we speak heart-to-heart?", or "We need to have a little heart-to-heart?"  Does it frighten you? Intrigue you? Threaten you?

What elevates normal, everyday conversation to that higher level described as heart-to-heart? And why is it something to be sought after?  I believe in the importance of having heart-to-heart conversations in our lives. I wish it were easier for me to do. Many of our relationships would benefit from increasing the quality of our communication.

Life's greatest joys come from our relationships.  In fact our existence is dependent upon this interaction with others. So I think it merits consideration on how to improve it. Consider the finest relationship you have ever had.  It probably is or was marked by absolute honesty, open communication, acceptance of differing views, and an "at-oneness" that said you are or were kindred spirits, or that you had the capacity to communicate heart to heart, or spirit to spirit.  Use this as a guide for improving the other relationships in your life.

Hopefully, most of us have known the joy of that ideal relationship. Maybe there have been many that fit that description; maybe there are just a few.  It is a joy possible for all of us to experience more frequently.  In order to achieve this elevated relationship, we will need to allow the pure love of Christ to permeate our lives and our associations with other people. Maybe we need to dim our critical eyes a little.  Maybe we need to be more forgiving. Certainly we need to open ourselves up to the possibilities.  We need to look outside ourselves more often than we do.  We need to unlock that inner self that we overprotect.

Consider the relationships you have now.  Think of a spouse, or a child, or a parent, a friend, a sister, a brother.  Could that relationship benefit from improved communication?

Perhaps on any ordinary day it would seem startling to express your feelings or to show a desire to improve your relationship, but Valentines Day, which is right around the corner, gives us all the foot in the door that we may be looking for.  Take advantage of this time of year when love seems to thicken the air with sweetness.  Find a way to say the things you have been wanting.  Express how you truly feel.  Surprise someone.  It will make their day and certainly strengthen your relationship, welding it together, perhaps neighbor-to-neighbor, friend-to-friend, and most assuredly, heart to heart.

New music on my piano.

I absolutely love new music on my piano, especially music that is challenging.  It gives me something to work for.

Last weekend, my husband was conducting a wedding at our church, and by default, I was nominated to provide the wedding music.  I will be honest.  I really don't like to do it.  I have been the "fall guy" several times and I always feel so inadequate.  I know that little girls every where dream of their wedding day and nowhere in those dreams is a mediocre piano player in the background.  I'm sure of it.

The day before the wedding, Brian went with me to Weather's Music Store to find a copy of the Bridal Chorus, because this particular bride really wanted to march in with the traditional music playing.  Bonus for me.  I picked out a lovely book filled with not only the Bridal Chorus and the Wedding March, it is filled with a wonderful assortment of other classical music that I haven't had.  I am enjoying working on perfecting it. (And it gives me something to do...)

I also picked up a new book of love songs from Broadway shows ( a little weakness of mine).  There are a lot of duplicates because I already own a huge assortment of Broadway books, but I was delighted to see that it had some new ones I was lacking.

So, girls!  When you come home we have some new songs for you to sing. There is nothing as thrilling for me as my daughters singing around my piano.  THAT makes me very happy...