The Great Lover

I have been so great a lover: all my life
These things I love:
Peanut butter, the nutty smell and creamy sticky taste,
Pickles, ever sour never willing to waste,
Cats and kittens, fur so soft, cuddling day in and day out,
Sleepy and playful, can’t go without;
Dogs and puppies, playful and loyal to the end;
Socks, warm upon my feet, sliding on the wooden floors around the bend;
Never ending smiles, bright upon faces, wrinkling the gleaming eyes
Revealing the heart inside that forever shies;
Musty books, lifting you to a new world, a place that someone else dreamed;
Smells of sawdust and car work, remembering the dad you always esteemed;
The soft love of hugs, from friends, family, and special ones;
Tree swings, in the fresh outside wind; skipping stones;
Water, cool on the hot skin, silky and soft, peaceful yet wild;
The unforgettable smell of a mother to her child.

Sharing is Caring

It was a simple dinner tonight, no time to prepare anything fancy or really tasty, but that was okay. We all enjoyed our small dinner of Taco Bell, sitting around the table together. We ate in silence for a while, each munching our own sort of Mexican food. I had my taco and burrito. I had just finished a packet of hot sauce, but I still had a few bites left of my taco. All I had to do was ask and my sister gave me a half full packet to finish my taco with. That was a bit too much though. I t was okay, I just used it on my burrito and it still tasted fine once the sauce was gone. But once I neared the end, it was getting ind of dry. I only had two or three bites left so I didn't want to open more hot sauce...There! Problem solved. My mom was lathering her nachos in some sauce, so I held my burrito out without a word and she graciously added some flavor to the last bits of my burrito. What caring and sharing my little family showed over a simple fast-food dinner. And with hot sauce to top it off.

Inspires Chaos

When I was little, I didn't know the contents of dog food. What kid did? So why was I so eager to go and eat it? I'd grab my dog's bowl and hide around the corner of the house and munch on his food, happy as can be, but listening for the condemning footsteps. I never got caught, I enjoyed my little treat alone, squatting on the cement. It was my little secret. But why dog food??

Engaged

The horses galloped down the cobblestone path towards the palace. It was all aglow like fire in the midnight sky, furiously reaching towards the stars and the moon. Tonight was the biggest night in all of Russia. The kind was throwing a ball and all people of importance were invited. The woman stepped out of her carriage, hair up done with diamonds and glittering strings.  Her flowing dress, dark and passionate as her ruby red lips. A white glove offered her a hand, but she brushed it off, eyes focused on the entrance.  waiting for no one, she glided up the steps and the doors were opened revealing a blast of music and laughter accompanied by the sweet scent of expensive foods and perfume. She stepped in and the doors shut behind her, she straightened her ring then inconspicuously glanced at her reflection in a passing vase.  She shook her head, trying to get rid of the nervous expressions she had just seen. She headed into the ballroom and glanced around. The kind was just leading his youngest daughter onto the floor with a big grin on his face. Then, there was the prince; quietly standing next to the throne, arms folded, watching the twirling dresses and clapping hands. She watched him for a moment, then their eyes met. She quickly looked down, but glanced up as he made his way over to her.
"I thought maybe you'd forgotten." He smiled, holding his arm out to her.
"I could never."

Some of Our Family Transactions my Sister has Missed Due to not Going to our Dad's for the Past Few Months

The death of our little turkey, Turkey Lurkey. Your little brother losing two teeth and growing in one. The birthday party of our second cousin, Sierra. Camping at Dos Picos park and bruising our butts on our bikes. Our Dad, Heather, and the three kids missing you to death. The sweetest age in the world is 15, or whatever you daughter is. The acquiring of our new cow, T-bone. The muddy paws of our puppies. The soft fur of our bunny. The many eggs of our seven chickens. Though you grow before me, Your still my baby girl. The crazy running of me during the summer. The awkward visits of us to the friends of our parents that we don't know. The lazy days we spent watching T.V. and movies in house. Cheap and easy lunch meals. Freezing and sandy trips to the beach with and without our cousins. Lake Havasu, with the hot sun, leeches, and amazing lightning storm. A daughter may outgrow you lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. The exciting clean up of the extra metal sheets and bars around the garage. The gross find of slugs. The many wounds of our little siblings. The crazy games, petty fights, and adorable hugs of everyone. The wonderful family and games on Christmas.  The laughter and uncopiable smiles, faces, and times. Watching your daughter being collected by her date feels like handing over a million dollar Stradivarius to a gorilla. Little bonding moments. Cute saying from Steven, crazy things from Amanda. Watching Steven's baseball practice, where he stomped on ants. Helping clean out the old sea train, looking at old photos. Watching the things in the house slowly move, get destroyed, and disappear.  The new sink faucet. A daughter is a treasure - and a cause of sleeplessness. The miraculous turn up of new clothing on my bed. Fuzzy sleeping in our room, and probably your blanket too, sorry. Cold, cold thanksgiving. Messy boys coming to visit. Dress ups and crazy trampoline games. The amazing deterioration of our scooters. It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't. The sad little goodbye's and 'I'm going to miss you's'. Lots of boring flights, and crazy HAZMAT guys. Tiny little experiences that you will never be able to make up.

We stared up at the plethera of colorful balloons, amazed as they glided over the rooftops and into the sky.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?"
I looked down to see an old man.  He was sitting on a step outside a door looking up at the balloons just as we had been.  He glanced at me and gave a quick smile, ruffling his pointy beard. "My son always dreamed of flying in one of those."
there was a moment of silence before someone in our group spoke up. "What happened to your son?"
He turned away from the balloons and looked at us with his old, blue eyes, "He didn't believe"
We all looked at each other, obvious curiosity in each of our faces.  The man chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the sides.  He leaned over, elbows on his knees, and spoke, "It was twenty-five years ago, when my son was ten years old, that we first came to see the balloons take flight. His eyes lit up, much like all of your did just now, but that spark stayed there.  Yes, it stayed and it grew.  All he ever talked about was growing up to pilot one of those balloons." The man chuckled, "His determination was beautiful. He even went so far as to go to the library and look up some books! Oh, he studied hard till he knew what each and every trinket on that balloon was called and what every single one of them was supposed to do.  Needless to say, we cam each year to see the balloons take off and his dream only grew bigger.
"It was that one day, ten years ago, that he stopped believing." He all of a sudden looked very old, his eyes were turned down to the ground.  He took a crumpled paper out of his coat and held it out to us, "The fateful crash of Barry Wingham, his idolized pilot.  It was like watching him be crushed right along with that balloon." His face fell and a sob escaped, his voice crackled as he spoke, "He stopped believing.  He gave it all up; his dream.  Now it will never come true." He looked up at us with tear-filled eyes, "don't give up. Keep believing in your dreams. Or you will forever regret it." He coughed a few times, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, then handed me the picture of the balloon crash.
"Always believe." He said, then he walked down the street and out of sight, leaving us all in wonder.

My Time

Just a quick stop at the store and she was driving home with a big smile on her face. The radio was blasting and she ignored the stares as she sang her lungs out while she zoomed down the street. Down the familiar road, past the old, rusted mailbox, and between the two little bushes.  She flung her hair into a quick pony tail and rushed inside, carrying her small bag of goodies, then kicked her shoes off by the door.  She set her bag down on the table and sorted through it, picking out the popcorn, the chocolates, and the can of Dr. Pepper.  She ripped the popcorn out of its package then shuffled to the living room as it started to pop in the microwave.  She popped her favorite movie into the DVD player then danced to each of the windows, shutting the blinds.  By then, the popcorn was done, she dumped it inot a bowl, grabbed her other treats, and flicked off each light as she made her way to the couch.  The movie was starting.  She cuddled into her fuzzy green blanket, her popcorn balanced on her lap, and smiled as she finally clicked play.