What is Love ?

I knew a man who spoke of love with the
fondness of familiarity in his eyes
The sparkle that told you,
He really had known such a thing.
It make a coy smile spread across his weathered face
like sunshine spreading across the
morning grass and expunging all traces of the nights storm.

He spoke of the softness of love
and how in moments of grief too great for a mortal heart
to hold out against, love, like a comforter on a winter's evening,
would chase away all traces of sorrow.
Leaving you content to find them replaced
with warm thoughts of friends and family.
Faces now gone, but never forgotten.

He spoke of the compassion of love.
Tender feelings so intense that nothing but the best for others
motivates you to do good.
Feelings of empathy so complete
that you experience their joy and sadness.

He spoke of the sorrow of love.
How your heart breaks when
those whom you love turn away from you.
When nothing you say or do will bring them back
because of the hardness of your words
and of their hearts.
When prayer and time and Love are your only Hope.

He spoke of the strength of love,
and how it holds you up when you feel certain that you can not endure.
Strength that flows through you like electricity,
energizing the very fibers of your being,
giving you what you never knew you had, to face life's trials

He spoke of the Joy of love,
that fills you with an anticipation that is so real,
you feel the energy of their presence long before they become visible.
That just having them near makes you feel completely content.

He spoke if his love for me
and I could not wonder at his words.
A captive of his strength and forever the beneficiary of his joy,
I had learned of the capability compassion had to change a hardened heart.
I know that his joy and mine were intertwined.
The ring of gold and cherished promise spoken years ago
had long since made me his for eternity.

And the Beat Goes ON...

Several years ago in a city far far away.
In another life almost, Benny was a drummer in a Band.
He loved it. He is a very good drummer in fact.
But sadly drums and babies do not mix and he gave it up when we got married because he knew that someday children would come into our lives.
Moving ahead several decades,
I was down at the music store and Jim says hey wanna see my latest cool find. We descended into the bowels of the music store and there they were. A great set of drums! returned by a Mother who I guess didn't realize that they were loud. "AND BOY ARE THEY LOUD" she said when bringing then back. So I counted my pennies and found a nickel or two and brought the drums home to my favorite drummer. He has patiently played them in the garage and in the corner, even outside on the patio
( neighbors were not happy about that at all )
or disassembled them and put them away for several years while other things were more important.

BUT NO MORE !! The are happily residing in his MAN CAVE !
Serving out their purpose in life getting beat to near death.
But Look at that face !
And the beat goes on....

The Gray Days

The day started out cold and gray and dreary.
The kind of day where you need socks and a sweater and something hot to drink.
Where you wish there was snow falling down
for at least that would leave you with a sense of wonder and beauty.
No, it was just gray and dull and dreary.
A suggestion, spoken in longing on another gray day is recalled and you smile to yourself.
Yes that is the answer.
That would be just the thing to lift the dull and bring in the color and the joy
and fill everything with warmth.
SO off I go to grind the wheat and mix the yeast with all things good and warm.
Sugar and spice and everything oh so nice and only just a pinch... not too much.
Then comes the waiting and the waiting and then the rolling and spreading and the waiting and the baking and then ... OH SO GOOD!
How can there be anything better than hot Cinnamon rolls on such a day as this.


Eat well.