Category: Of Life and Love

  •   A daughter is a gift of love. ~Author unknown My daughter had a birthday recently. When pressed, she allowed me to have a small family gathering, for my benefit. She told me it should be my celebration, since I'm the one who did all the work that day.  That's a perfect example of the…

  •     Yes, yes. I know I've already mentioned it, but hey, I'm a grandmother now, so you'll probably hear about it a lot!  It's hard for me to believe, but my grandson will soon celebrate his 1 month birthday. He is still mostly just eating and sleeping and growing, but it's so amazing to…

  •     "It’s hard to describe the choked up teary eyed swell of love and shaky adrenaline you experience witnessing your first child transform from a stomach bump into a little being. You’re mesmerized by their little sounds and movements for hours. Its like staring at the northern lights, lightning storms, ocean waves smashing cliffs,…

  • "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." ~Jack Layton     When I headed to Florida with Tom last weekend, weather forecasts indicated we could be meeting up with a mini-hurricane. Ever-hopeful,…

  •     If you wait, all that happens is that you get older. ~Larry McMurtry     I can't believe I've been 59 for over a month now and haven't yet posted about the "60 by 60" challenge I've made to myself for the coming year.  Time continues to spin faster and faster, and there…

  • Love talked about can be easily turned aside, but love demonstrated is irresistible.~ W. Stanley MooneyhamAmerican minister and speaker, 20th century   One of my favorite Valentines from Tom one year … our little pond shaped into a heart In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd go back into the archives and find one of…

  •   "The next best thing to the enjoyment of a good time, is the recollection of it." ~James Lendall Basford      For someone who has a zillion photo albums collected on shelves all over her house, it amazes even me that I rarely print photos anymore. But I didn't want my memories of Italy…

  •     Eight years ago, while we were mourning the loss of our sweet Charly, a litter of puppies was born in east Texas.  Whether the mom was a pure-bred who had a wild fling with a stray, or she was a mixed breed stray herself, we'll never know.  We do know that a few…

  • For the past few years, I've chosen a word to be my mascot for the year. Sort of a theme song and coach, all rolled into one word with a motivational definition that will inspire me all year (fingers crossed!)  Last year it was "Believe".  The year before it was "Love", and the year before…

  • Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New Year will bring new opportunities. ~Michael Josephson   Can you believe another year has come and gone?  2017 will be unforgettable for me in many ways. I visited Las Vegas again, thanks to the…