How Quickly I Forget...

* that when I offer to read a book to the children, they say "yes" and gather around and sit quietly while I read.

* that when I offer to play catch with Daniel, there is something magical about putting on a baseball glove and tossing a ball back and forth: that boy starts to talk non-stop with his dear old Mom about nearly everything under the sun.

* that when Kristiana and I sit down across from each other at the table with tea, our journals, and a pile of pens between us, we are about to spend enormously valuable mother-daughter, friend-friend time

* that when I ask Steve if he wants to do something together, just the two of us, he almost never turns me down.

* that when I take time alone to read, journal, think, pray, meditate, exercise, I invariably return to my life refreshed and rejuvenated.

* that time over tea with friends also has a way of making me feel great.

* that few people turn down the opportunity to be listened to, encouraged, enjoyed, honored, and loved along life's busy and often demanding pathway.

* that this time of year, with its flowers in bloom, trees budding, grass thickening, and warm weather becoming more the norm than the exception, brings with it a yearning for deeper connections, for truer friendships, and for more passionate love.

* Love is grand.



Over the past couple of weeks, I have been reminded of the fact that I had forgotten nearly all these truths.
Thank you Steve, Kristiana, Daniel, Katie, Bonnie, Karen, Rick, Darryl, Laurie, Lisa, Amy, Judy, Jill, Kate, Moneesha, Jen G, Jen L, Jen B,
Zach, Shelby, Itiel, my journaling class members,
and others whose names I have not mentioned
for reminding me.


Here's another quote that Ali posted in her quote list:

The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.
Leo Buscaglia