Sunday, November 16, 2014

The Power of Loss

A year ago today, my brother died.

Saying I miss him is not enough to convey the depth of my feelings.

I miss his hugs
I miss the jokes we used to share
I miss watching him come into his home tired after a hard days work, being proud that my brother was a good man.
I miss the love he showed for his family
I miss the way he looked at his wife and and then would say "isnt my wife beautiful"
I miss his ability to diffuse me by making me laugh and his uncanny ability to embaress me in social situations
I miss those conversations we had on the rare occasions when we were alone.
I miss him treating me like he was my big brother even though he was the youngest

I miss his presence, I miss his smile and knowing he would always be there for me.

But today, he is not.

In the past year Ive learned that death can change people. 

It has a way of putting life into perspective.

It makes you see past all the nonsense and get to what really matters.

So often we get caught up in the petty nonsense and resentments of the past. We waste time being upset.  We get offened over something that seems so major at the time, we lose focus on whats really important.   But when someone you love dies, you learn all that really matters is the love you have for one another.  You learn that accepting people for who they are and loving them with all your heart can soothe the worst pain. 

What we do on a daily basis seems so insignificant, but to someone who knows they are loved it means everything. Tell people you love them, show it even more.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

I make no promises...

Id love to be able write something every.single.day.

Things that are truly profound.

Things that would make any active mind ponder.

But in real life,  this just doesn't happen (at least not to me)

However, there are moments where my imagination takes over and things spill into my mind like jelly beans being poured into a bowl. Usually this happens when I am at work and should be focusing on the task in front of me. Sometimes if I am not particularly busy, Ill take a moment to write it down, but by the time I actually get a free moment to expand on it, my mind is tired, or I have lost direction, no longer sure of exactly where I wanted to go with a certain idea.  Sadly this is the plight of most writers.  We get wonderful, crazy ideas all the time. We read, watch people or hear conversations that no one else is listening to.  We see things in pictures that spark our minds and get our creative juices flowing.  But as soon we sit still to write it down, it stops. Like right now..I'm not really sure where I want to go with this.

OK so that's not true.

Despite my intentions, please know that there will be no truly profound thoughts here.  The only thing I plan to write is truth and opinions according to the world I live in.  There will be no political statements or rants about the price of rice somewhere else in the world, but occasionally, I will talk about something I hold dear to my heart, or something I read on Yahoo (cause that's where I get ALL my news) Sometimes I will rant, complain, or maybe just throw a question out into the cosmic winds of life to see what comes back.

PLEASE NOTE: I do not promise to write everyday. I will not promise to write things people will like, In fact I'm not even sure I will like what I write, but I will try to write often (hopefully with my grammar in check).  Just know that whatever I write will be truth, it will entertain you and maybe even uplift you. But mostly, it will be from my heart. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.

Smooches

Monday, November 10, 2014

Why Strawberries in Paris?

To say I was disappointed is an understatement.

Today's breakfast consisted of a banana, blackberries and strawberries.  

Good you say? What could possibly be disappointing about fruit?  

Not complaining (too late) but my banana was slightly brown. OK it was partially peeled open and full of brown spots, and well blackberries, they are tart in general, but strawberries..strawberries are supposed to be sweet. 

Red, Ripe, Juicy and SWEET.  

Earlier this year while wandering (possibly lost) on the streets of Paris, we stopped at a local market and brought a batch of strawberries.  

They were small, red, ripe, juicy, sweet-AWESOMENESS!! 

I kid you not, these were the absolute best strawberries I have ever had.  Obviously they would be the last.  Since returning home, I have not had any strawberries that tasted remotely like the ones in Paris. Not saying there aren't any out there, its just that I haven't found them. Each time I buy strawberries I expect, no,,,want them to taste like the ones in Paris, but it hasn't happened. Yet. 

That being said, there are moments in life that only happen once.  They bring you joy and contentment, you feel satisfied that in that moment life is good, life is sweet, life is what it should be. 

So in honor of that day I have named my new blog "Strawberries In Paris", cause really isn't that what life is all about.