Have I told you lately that I love you? Seriously – that sounds weird coming from a stranger, doesn’t it? It’s even weirder for me than it is for you to read it coming from me, because actually saying those words out loud, or even typing them here, is not an easy feat. Never has been. It’s not that I don’t LOVE things. It’s not that I don’t show it with my actions to those whom I love. But the actual speaking of it has always been hard, doesn’t come natural. I’m no shrink, so I don’t have the answer to that, it is what it is. I suspect it has roots in my relationship with my father, he who really doesn’t know how to show love and when he does, it just feels wrong. Or weird. Maybe weird is the right word there.
I love those of you who stop here and join in the conversations. We are each other’s cheerleaders, we are a indeed a community – bloggers and blog readers. We commiserate, we give helpful tips, we agree and disagree and help each other be open to another point of view. We pray for each other, even if we’re not religious. In an ever changing world full of strife, disheartening events, negativity… we bring out the better part of our world through sharing the better (and worse) parts of ourselves. We are never alone – there are others who share our experiences – it’s truly a beautiful thing.
so Thank You.
Yesterday I loaded Frasier and a bunch of buckets and a good shovel into the back of the Jeep and drove down to the “island” where I met up with a good friend, BJ, at her island cottage. She and her family have been summering there since 1965 – the year I was born. Now in her mid 80’s she is a dynamo. Her beloved husband passed some years ago and two of her three children moved out of state. She returns to the cottage each year for the summer, tending her extensive gardens throughout the season, hosting friends on the deck overlooking the water. We walked around the garden and determined which plants I should take some of to rehome around our cottage yard. I dug them up and brought them over to Stella down the road and spent the rest of the morning replanting, watering, and weeding.
I love having some of BJ’s glorious garden planted here around Stellas little space. The plants will always remind me of friendships, of sharing, of community. We could get lost in the negativity we are bombarded with regularly through various forms of media, through the reckless and selfish behavior of our own government, the list goes on. Or, we can adjust our focus, clean the lens, fine tune…. and see all that is truly wonderful in this world, because there is so much of it.
In closing, I ask that you say a prayer for blog friend Vicky – she is an amazing, giving, generous soul who has been beating cancer to the curb for almost six years now, living all her moments full, teaching all who read her what grace in the line of fire looks like. You can find Vicky HERE.
Till soon, friends –
