A few fears ago, I decided to sell my sleek looking convertible. The younger woman, who answered my ad, sounded pretty excited about taking the car for a spin. We agreed on a time and place to meet, as I wanted her to test drive the vehicle to make sure it was a true fit for her needs. Her dad came along for the ride, anticipating exchanging money for the car. One glance told me, they were a very closely knit family. He was from the old country. And he clearly adored his adult daughter.
She climbed into the drivers seat like she was a princess on a velvet cushion. Her eyes were filled with excitement as we made our way down the freeway. As we drove along, we talked, as strangers often do when they have first met. She had felt at one point, she would never marry, as the right guy simply did not come along. Then, one day, when she least expected it, a handsome man became part of her life. They married almost immediately.
The following year, a miracle happened. She became pregnant with the child, who would change her whole life. Her parents were deliriously happy and the newly married couple could hardly contain their excitement. Somehow, deep within the heart of the soon to be mom, she had a feeling that she would have a Down’s Syndrome baby. In her heart of hearts, she had always known this would be the case. Sure enough, the baby was born. And it was clear that their little bundle of happiness had fulfilled her mother’s expectations. She was special, indeed,very special, in every way.
The grandparents were bursting at the seams, filled with love for their precious gift from heaven. The infant’s mom and dad were every bit as exhilarated. They named her Joy. For this family, she represented the very best of all things we strive to maintain. She was sweet and innocent, with a smile that would light up any room. As she grew into a toddler, the family loved her more and more with each passing day.
As we pulled up to the insurance company to exchange paperwork for the car, I saw a delightful man, beaming ear to ear, wallet in hand. He opened the wallet and could hardly wait to show me what was inside. Photo after photo, of their beloved Joy. He explained to me that after many years spent in prayer, they had been sent this wonderful gift from heaven. She was the love of his life and their promise of a life of love and happiness.
I walked away that day with a renewed faith in the world. Never have I seen a family so truly and completely engulfed in their love for a single soul. And for the first time, I really understood what the word special was meant to look like from a distance. Not different or lacking in any way, but completely and totally beloved by everyone who crossed their path. And that is about as special of a gift as anyone could ever hope to receive.
Every man has one holiday they consider the most important of all. For Ray, that day was Feb 14th. He and Eleanor had spent their first Valentine’s day at home. An oncoming snowmobile traveling too fast, had caused a collision. His bride’s leg was broken in several places. As their marriage was new and being thrifty was considered to be a good thing, they set in place a tradition for all holidays that would follow.
Each year Ray would choose from his small collection of cards. Eleanor would do the same. They would look for a card that expressed how they really felt about each other. Rules like that sometimes inspire the best of behavior. Year after year, they opened the same cards from each other, marking only the new date and perhaps a small note. Decades came and went and they continued to really enjoy their little tradition.
Eleanor loves candy. Not just any candy will do. She really, really loves Sees candies. It did not take long for Ray to figure out what made her eyes sparkle and shine. Each year he lovingly chose her card and made his way to stand in line for the beloved box of Sees. Life being what it is, Ray passed away at the end of June. His 84th birthday would have been tomorrow. Needless to say, today promised to be a very tough one.
At Christmas time, Eleanor decided to set aside half her box of candy for Valentine’s Day. She also knew she could not be trusted. In an effort to save the candy from herself, she wrapped the box in enough sealing tape to look like Fort Knox. She hid it away, out of sight and patiently waited. Valentine’s Day could not come soon enough. !!!
I awoke this morning to my mother’s smiling face with a devilish grin that told me she had been up to mischief. As I walked into the living room, I noticed a large Valentine’s card standing in front of the framed picture of Ray that graces the living room table. After a few moments my mom appeared and announced that she had gotten a Valentine from Ray !!! She had also chosen one from her to him. She was eagerly anticipating digging into the box of candy she would open after we returned from the movies. Of all the movie choices she could have made, she picked “The Vow”. Our movie was a real tug on the heartstrings. We returned home just in time in sneak a few pieces of candy before dinner.
Ray loved daffodils more than any other flower. In the fall, mom decided to plant hundreds of them in his honor. She hoped when spring arrived, there would be a huge splash of bright yellow in front of the house. It was all for her husband of three and a half decades, who loved the bright yellow rascals waving in the breeze. He had never managed to buy any for himself. We planted and planted in hopeful anticipation.
Today, as I looked out the window, I saw that the bright promising crop has a leader. One single flower is determined to win the blooming race. Right next to it is a close contender, just like two old friends standing, admiring the sunshine together. Of the hundreds waiting for more sun, only the two were determined to bloom in unison.
At times life may surprise us…and take our breath away. Someone we meet will touch us…in an unexpected way. Suddenly we view life…in a light unseen before. The chance meeting of a lifetime …is now knocking on our door. Around the corner they both came…one single moment in time…the warmest of smiles… inquisitive eyes…his mirror reflection… simply perfection…an image indelibly fine. The vision in her mind of this tender loving soul…inspired the very best in her…shedding shyness and self control. Suddenly she found herself…flying high above the clouds… feeling free and unencumbered…doing things her heart had dreamed about. Friendships…there are many…whose roots can now be traced…to a charming handsome man…and the sorrow he erased. As time went on their friendship…took another turn…feelings deep within her soul… began to make her yearn. In another place in time …her body would softly stir…with images dancing in the dark…touching every part of her. Their bodies bare and wanting… appeared before her eyes…a hunger reached from deep within…the sound of audible sighs. The hardness of his body…how sweet his lips might taste…fingers tracing every inch…the look upon his face… breathless passionate images…her mind could not erase. Half a world away…smoldering thoughts of him… invisible touch…remain as such…buried deep inside her skin.
Dreaming In The Buff
Posted on: May 14, 2010
My first ever trip to Albuquerque could have been construed to be ill fated at best. I marched off to the airport like a girl scout on a mission to save someone. My heart fluttered with excitement in anticipation of a "first" meeting many years after a "first" and only date. Someone needed help…and this was clearly a job I could handle. During the course of my shuttle ride to the hotel…I poured out heart and soul to the only other passenger in the shuttle van. I told him I was meeting someone who was very special in every way. My normal cool and calm exterior felt like a swarm of butterflies were landing on me from every direction. I found being unnerved quite funny for the fearless and tough old girl I have always been. I explained I had not dated in many, many years…no dinners shared…not even a single kiss. The gentleman in the shuttle was excited for me. He had been so very much in love with his beautiful bride with whom he shared more than three decades before sadly losing her to illness. The wistful look upon his face spoke volumes of the intensity and depth of his love for her. We arrived at our destination… wished each other well…and went our seperate ways. My next day consisted of spending hours and hours sitting patiently in the lobby for a ride that would never come. At the risk of sounding vain…I was truly beautiful. A radiant smile graced my face in anticipation of the new chapter I was about to begin. My below waist length hair lay in soft curls cascading down my shoulders… accenting the curves of my dress. I applied a very tiny amount of makeup…an unusual move on my part. I was in fact pretty as a picture…a fact many people during the day had commented on as I sat patiently waiting. After all the flight options for the day had come and gone and trains had departed for the last run of the evening…it became clear to me that an additional night’s stay was imminent. I shook my head in disbelief…booked an additional night at the hotel and flights to return home the following day. My evenly paced phone calls had met with undesirable results…dead air. As I prepared to gather my suitcase and carry bags…the gentleman from the previous day’s shuttle spotted me from across the lobby. He approached in a most curious manner as he knew I should have been long gone. He asked how my meeting had turned out and was anxious to hear how exciting the day had been. His expression quickly fell to resemble one that mirrored my own disbelief. We talked while I checked in…and he carried my suitcase…as any gentleman would. We went back over the day’s events…covering conversations…guessing at possibilities… unable to have an inkling between us as to what went wrong. I thanked him for wheeling my suitcase along and he left. A phone call I received shortly afterward offered not an explanation…but at least the relief that my friend was not in fact dead on the floor or something equally horrific. He insisted that I get something to eat as I had not done so all day…afraid to leave my post in the lobby lest we might miss each other somehow. I went to the restaurant and bar area where some food was still being served. The place was filled to capacity with only one seat vacant…next to my shuttle bus friend. The burgers we devoured were washed down gently with cold drinks…and we continued our discussion about my situation… equally perplexed. My friend called to say we would meet very early in the morning and I stepped outside to have a chance to talk privately. I returned to finish what I could eat of my meal…and asked for the bill. The waitress gave the gentleman his bill and reached to set mine down in front of me. He swooped in and took my bill for food and drinks faster than you could blink an eye. As I thanked him for his kindness…he said there was one more thing. He wanted to make sure the trip was not a total waste…as I had accomplished nothing. He stood up…and kissed me on the lips in front of a bevy of strangers looking on in admiration. And then he kissed me again. He said I could no longer say I had not been kissed for a very, very long time. If I were the kind of girl to kiss and tell…it would be a story of soft velvety lips meeting in a most unexpected manner. As I look back over the few photos taken and my one little momento of my ill fated journey to Albuquerque…I hope in my heart that the memory I will take away is not the one of humiliation and despair…but of the kindness shown by a stranger whose admiration was duly noted. Sentiments expressed would clearly have been excellent candidates for the mutual admiration society. So…if you ever find yourself a little blue…feeling stranded and disappointed…know in your heart that while the cowboy boot you were trying on for size may not be the perfect fit after all…there may be a soft smooth pair of suede pumps that do. As I crept into bed last night in the comfort of my own bed…it was this very thought I pondered as I drifted off to sleep…dreaming in the buff. Back in the USA
Posted on: April 30, 2010
