A Perfect Christmas?

This is a story of two women who were trying to make the most of Christmas. Technically, they each were doing the same thing, but which one had the true spirit of Christmas?

Mother Perfection:

A mother hurried along to fill her jars with the perfect Christmas cookie mix to give her neighbors.

"May I help?" her son, Tommy, cried.

"Very well. But please follow my instructions."

So the child filled the first jar with flour, soda, and sugar, as his mother told him to do.

"No, no," she chided. "You're spilling everywhere!"

So the child did his best to clean up the mess and dropped in a layer of candy in the jar.

"No, no!" the mother chided again. "The candy needs to be lined up evenly."

So Tommy made the crooked line of candy a little less so. Now they each cut out some Christmas fabric to cover the jars.

"No! You are not cutting it even! Who wants to look at that?"

Tommy frowned and worked extra hard to cut a perfect square.

"Why are you going so slow?" the mother asked.

Tommy shrugged. Now for the ribbon. Tommy cut the ribbon with precision.

"That is too short."

So Tommy cut out another ribbon and tied a big bow and smiled at his mother. Surely she would be pleased with this.

"Oh, look at that bow! It's all twisted up on itself. It looks ridiculous. You know what? I'm just going to do this myself."

So, the mother filled and decorated the remainder of the jars. They were all perfect. The flour, sugar, and candy were lined up perfectly, the fabric layered on each jar was cut out just right and the bows were tied flawlessly. And then, the mother left the house to deliver her perfect jars and left her ashamed and tearful child at home.

Mother Heart:

A mother hurried along to fill her jars with the perfect Christmas cookie mix to give her neighbors.

"May I help?" her son, Tommy, cried.

"Of course! This will be fun!"

So the child filled the first jar with flour, soda, and sugar.

"You got most of that in the jar. Good job! Let's add a little bit more now."

Now, Tommy lay a new layer of candy in the jar. His mother noticed the lines were crooked, but she knew Tommy had done his best.

"Thank you so much for helping me," she told him.

Now they each cut out some Christmas fabric to cover the jars. Tommy's chubby fingers cut the fabric crooked, but his mother put it on the jar anyway.

"May I cut the ribbon?" Tommy asked.

"Of course, dear," his mother said.

So Tommy cut the ribbon.

"Oops. It doesn't quite fit. What should we do?" his mother asked.

"I'll cut a new one and make it longer," Tommy said.

"Good idea." 

So Tommy cut out another ribbon and tied a big bow and smiled at his mother.

"Oh, look at that bow! It's wonderful!"

Tommy grinned at his mother, very pleased with himself.

"Would you like to help me with the rest of the jars, Tommy?"

"Yes!"

So, Tommy and his mother filled and decorated the remainder of the jars. There was a lot of spilling, the layers were uneven, the fabric was crooked and the bows were big and lopsided. And it took three times longer than it would if Tommy's mother had done it by herself. But Tommy and his mother talked and laughed as they did it together. Tommy even went with his mother to deliver the jars, proudly telling everyone that he had helped make their gift.

When they were all finished, Tommy hugged his mother and she kissed his cheek.

"That was fun! Can we do that again next year?"

So which mother had the true spirit of Christmas? It's obvious, isn't it?

It's Right in Front of Us

My grade schooler was a little anxious this morning because he knew he was going to have a substitute. 

"But, Mom," he said, "I am just going to miss my teacher SO much!"

My boy can get pretty attached to people he loves. 

"I hope the substitute is nice."

"I'm sure she will be," I assured him.

As I watched him shut our front gate on his way to school, I said a little prayer that he would feel joy in his heart today. And then I saw him tilt his head back to look up at the falling snow and stick his tongue out to catch some snowflakes. He did this while he was running to the crosswalk. 

Looks like he found joy already. 

How I love what my children help me feel and remember: Joy. 

What About Those Weeds?

I drove into my driveway and groaned at the plethora of weeds that filled my yard. It's just like they say: "A messy house/yard indicates a messy life." Was that really true?

Love and Rain

Don't you just love how fresh the rain makes everything smell? How green it makes the earth? How soothing it sounds as it patters on your roof? I love the rain!

Joys of Babies!

Not long ago, I had the good fortune of being at an ultrasound of a dear friend of mine. How fascinating it was! To see the little legs and feet and hands and ears and nose all snuggling up inside his mother.
It is truly remarkable how life continues to come to earth.

Valiant vs. Vulgar Valentine

Voice of an angel (i.e., Richard Armitage)                  Vulgar

Apprieciative                                                           Artificial

Loving                                                                    Lustful

Exciting                                                                  Egocentric

Noble                                                                     Negative

Tender                                                                   Thoughtless

Imaginitive                                                             Irrational

Naturally Nice                                                         Neurotic

Ends with a kiss                                        (Tries to) End with a kiss

               

Discovering and Revealing Tom

I am in love with a character from my new book: Tom Multon. He has fiery hair and a southern Texas accent. He's adorable, sweet and a little unsure. 

When I discovered Tom I craved to know his story! I am revealing to you his character! ☺ 
(I obtained this worksheet from Jody Hedlund's Blog.) 

Supporting Main Character Worksheet

Name: Tom Multon

Age: 25

Height/Weight: 5’9/155

Body type: Healthy, in-shape, strong
Scent: Woodsy

Texture (i.e. of hands, skin, etc.): rough man hands

Clothing style/frequently worn clothes: casual, but neat

Eye color: Cinnamon


Hair color and style: Fiery, short, casual


Other distinguishing physical traits: Scar on his right palm, a few freckles


Action tags (i.e.scratching head, nail biting, etc.): Bouncing his knee

Verbal tags (i.e. “My, my,” “Huh?” etc.) (also list speaking style: talkative, soft-spoken, loud, formal, accent, fast,etc.): “Drat!” “Oh, good night.” Speaks with a thick southern Texas accent

Characteristic tags (i.e. timidity, drunkenness, arrogance, etc.): Brave, Protective, Selfless


Physical imperfections or something would most like to change: Wants to be taller


Race/Ethnic group: White American


Religion: Christian


Years of schooling: 3 years of college


Any special occupational training: Hunting, gaming


Occupation: Professional Hunter

Past Occupations: Student, athlete (hockey)


Skills, Abilities, and Talents: Wood Carving, Carpentry, Hunting, Hockey

Personality Type (Include Archetype): Sentinel: An Introvert and Feeling Person with good people skills.


Admirable personality traits (strengths): Selfless, Thoughtful, Kind, Works Hard, Independent, Protective, Loves deeply, Principled


Negative personality traits (weaknesses): Unforgiving of self, lives in the past

Things that make angry: Selfishness or unkindness to those he loves. Hypocrites and lawbreakers.

Method of handling anger: Confronts the person directly, but only if necessary

Things that embarrass: His past mistakes

Method of handling embarrassment: Holds it in and loathes himself
Fears: Not being a man like his Pa

Method of handling fear: Tries hard to improve


Bad habits or vices: Thinking he isn’t worthy of a woman

Prejudices: None

Pet peeves or gripes: Eye rolling


Sense of Humor: Light, but not crude


Philosophy of Life: Have faith in God, Work hard, Treat others well

Physical illness or affliction: None


Hobbies/Interests: Wood carving, carpentry


Favorite Foods: Elk, fish

Favorite Books: Not really a reader
Favorite Color: Green (reminds of the mountains)

Favorite Place: Mountains, or the lake

Item(s) special to character: The furniture he and his Pa made together.

Person/friend close to character: His Pa


Description of home, home life, and economic status: Alaskan cabin: solitary, quiet and lonely; has some money to spare.



Brief family history: Oldest of three. His family was loving and believers in God with a modest home and income.

Most painful experiences in character’s past (to prove why they act the way they do): The mistake of succumbing to alcohol.



Character’s goals (What they want)(Their biggest dream): A loving family and a career to provide for them.



Character’s motivation (Why they want the above goal): He wants to feel respected and give what he had as a child.



Character’s conflict (What is keeping them from their goal): Feeling unworthy of it.


Summarize character’s Fatal Flaw (the main problem to work through): He believes his past mistakes are unforgivable.




Story Premise (in one sentence write what I am trying to prove by writing this story):
- See more at: http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/p/character-worksheet.html#sthash.ySayclgZ.dpuf

Someone can and deserves to be loved regardless of imperfections.

Is Christmas Joyful Or Stressful For You?

Christmas time is busy for everyone. How do we meet our deadlines and still have time for all of the parties and shopping and baking?

I recently read a blog post from a fan of mine who had some great ideas. I don't have permission to give her name so we will call her Sue. Sue mentioned that she plans on specific times of the day to work and meet her deadlines, and she doesn't let anything else get in the way of that. However, when that scheduled time is over she STOPS. That way she can focus on her family and the meaning of Christmas.

For myself, I try to eliminate those things that distract me from feeling the spirit of Christmas. For instance, I try to focus on giving gifts that mean something. The children from my church are going to go caroling with me in a medical facility. Sure, it takes a bit of time and planning, but it costs nothing! And it will bring smiles and cheer to many who are very lonely this time of year. What a great gift!

Another thing I try to do is eliminate unnecessary stress. For me, sending Christmas cards is stressful. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas cards! And I realize that many people find joy in doing this and that is great. But, for me it is stressful. I don't have money to pay for a nice photographer, nor do I have money to pay for a bunch of nice printed cards, or even stamps! Scrounging money for this purpose isn't worth it to me. Moreover, I can never keep track of everyone who has moved! But, I still want to send greetings to my faraway family and friends so what I do instead is make a movie (provided from a free Google App) with my digital pictures of the year. This turns into an enjoyable family activity where we laugh and reminisce as we choose pictures and music. Spending time with my family is the number one thing I want to do at Christmas time! Our movie is never high-tech or fancy by any means, but we have fun doing it and I still get to send Christmas greetings to those I love. It's a win-win situation. And  better yet, it's free!

Growing up, my mother always made Christmas candy for all our neighbors: caramel, fudge, peanut brittle, you name it. Sometimes she even mailed candy. Oh my, was her candy delicious! I have tried in years past to follow this tradition. But, my candy doesn't turn out the way my mother's did. I have made several extra batches on occasion to make it just right. This has been stressful for me. So this year I have decided to NOT make candy, but simply...cookies. This way I can let my neighbors and friends know I love them without a stressful preparation. My family is happier when I am not stressed. Is yours? Christmas is supposed to be a happy, wonderful time of year. And it can be!

Lastly, when I read with my children during December I try to pick stories related to the Christ child; and often we put on a small, informal, unrehearsed nativity play for just ourselves. This helps us remember the best and ultimate gift given to us: the gift of God's Son. This brings the true feeling of Christmas into my home.

Christmas truly is a time for joy, family and love and most of all, a time to feel HIS love for us.

The Love of a Friend

What if we could have a diamond just for being happy and a personal sunshine that brightened our sorrow?

I have both of these in a friend. 

True friends are priceless. They are even better than chocolate. Everyone wants and needs a friend who loves who they are, someone who sees the good in them, someone to share joys, ambitions, successes, struggles and failures with. Someone to laugh with, and someone to cry with. 

Let me tell you about a friend who I think of as both a diamond in my happiness and a sunshine in my sorrow. 

• She is a diamond in my life when she is happy for me with even the smallest of victories. 

• She is a diamond in my life with all her jokes and positive words.

• She is a diamond in my life with all of her acts of kindness, service and thoughtful encouragement.

• She is my sunshine when she listens to my worries with understanding.

• She is my sunshine when she offers advice in difficult situations.

• She is my sunshine when she shares her faith.

This friend of mine just gave me an adorable, little journal. She has one too and we are going to write down something we are grateful for in it every day. What a perfect gift--one that encourages positive thoughts and a healthy spirit. 

No worldly gifts or money or fame could ever compare with a simple diamond-sunshine-friend. How I love you, friend. 

I Love Diversity

One reason I love America is because of the plethora of diverse people in it. We have people from all over the world here! Just like a carved pumpkin, none of us is exactly the same. 

In fact, just like a carved pumpkin doesn't always turn out the way the carver envisioned it, neither do our lives. And that's okay too. It only adds to our diversity of experiences. 

We all have different backgrounds, beliefs, interests, talents, ambitions and so on. It is often these differences that enable us to contribute immensely to our families, communities, and even beyond. 

I will give two examples of how people who are different from me have enriched my life. One is fun, one is serious.

I have a friend who loves to decorate cakes, but hates to bake. As for myself, I love to bake. But I can't, for the life of me, decorate a cake. So, for my kids' birthday parties, I bake a cake and my friend decorates it. For her kids' birthday parties, I bake a cake and she decorates it. What a perfect trade! 

Someone very close to me has completely polarized beliefs than I do. We disagree on almost every important life detail of magnitude. But, what an opportunity to learn and love. I have not changed my views or beliefs and neither has the said person. However, the experiences I have had from keeping this person close to me have brought me tremendous personal growth and have even strengthened my own core beliefs. 

It is not only possible to live with differences. It is wonderful. I love diversity. 

I Am Happy Just the Same

I Am Happy Just the Same

I don't have a lot of money

I don't have a lot of fame.

But with small things in life

I am happy just the same.

I have a son who makes me laugh

A daughter who makes me proud.

Their countless hugs and kisses

And wordless love speak loud.

I have a man who holds me

Close to him at night.

And a pillow for my head

To help me sleep just right.

A kind stranger smiles at me

As we're walking on the street

A friend gives me a book to read

And a yummy treat.

A stranger fixed my dishwasher

Another fixed my car

A friend listens when I'm upset

"I love you how you are."

Life is full of sweet, small things—

Peaches, flowers, music, ice cream.

Dancing, singing, sidewalk chalk,

The silly way a toddler talks.

The sun keeps me warm all day

And the scriptures fill my soul.

The river brings me peace and calm

And God's love makes me whole.

So many little loves of life—

"Diamonds in the rough".

They all bring true happiness.

Oh, how I love the small stuff.

Tiny things mean much to me
'Though to you they seem mundane.
And to that I will admit,

But I am happy just the same.

 


 

Grasshoppers and Dragonflies Make for a Beautiful Day

Do your children ever surprise you with a stroke of genius sometimes?

My 5-year-old boy spontaneously came up with a lovely, simple song the other day while the two of us were throwing rocks into an easy-going river near our home:

♫Watching sticks that float! And watching rocks that sink! Watching grasshoppers and dragonflies! What a beautiful day!♫

Isn't that perfect? I had a wonderful time with him, sitting on the bank of the river among the tall grass and light breeze as we sang songs and threw rocks into the river. We even had a spotted frog friend who dutifully sat by us the entire time!

It was definitely one of those "life is good" days. So I attribute this love note to my son. I love you son, for making my life richer than I could ever hope for.  ♥♥♥

Song of my Heart

Have you ever noticed that it is impossible to be grumpy and sing at the same time? I have. Music lifts my soul, just as writing lifts my spirits.


But, music does it so much more automatically. There is something about a sweet melody that stretches any angst I have right out of me. It works with writing too, but it takes longer.


When our souls dig deep inside themselves, it's amazing to see and hear the beauty that comes out!

It's no wonder that listening to music enhances writing! 

Unrequited Love?

Unrequited love—it's talked about often. It's sad, it's heart-breaking and we can all relate with it one way or another.

Sometimes it's not a romantic love we lose, but a friend. A friend we loved dearly. 

And we lose them in some of the very same ways we lose a romantic love. And often this kind of friendship-love is just as soul-crushing to us. Friends are lost to death or illness. Some friends are even lost because of jealousy or misunderstandings or just a wrong word said.

How do we keep friends? How do we keep friendships alive and free from contamination? How do we keep romantic love blooming and fresh?

It's a difficult question because, although we all do our best, we sometimes fall short; and sometimes our loved ones fall short too.

But, there is One who never falls short in His love and His understanding and His compassion towards us. That is Jesus Christ, our Savior. When we feel as if no one knows our pain, no one understands—He knows. He understands. And He loves us so perfectly that He can help us through any heartache no matter how large, no matter how complicated. And He is the One who can bring back love into our friendships and our relationships. He is the one and only source of true, abiding love.

I am not ashamed to admit that I truly love and adore my Savior!

This is the ultimate love note. And I know He has already read it!

Love That Quote

Since it is the month of love, here are some of my favorite romantic quotes! 

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” 
― Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice


“I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.” 
― Jane Austen, Persuasion


“When I fall in love, it will be forever.” 
― Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility The Screenplay


“When you are not with me, I am left with nothing but longing for you.” 
― Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke



“I know my heart. It has always been yours, Kate. Always.” 
― Julianne Donaldson, Blackmoore


“You are not The Giver of My Heart’s Desire.” I took a deep breath and smiled. “You are my heart’s desire.” 
― Julianne Donaldson, Blackmoore


“To my unsuspecting love.
When I look into your eyes, I loose all sense of time and place. Reason robbed, clear thought erased, I am lost in the paradise I find within you gaze.
I long to touch your blushing cheek, to whisper in your ear how I adore you, how I cannot bear the thought of living without you.
To be so near you without touching you is agony. Your blindness to my feelings is a daily torment, and I feel driven to the edge of madness by my love for you” 
― Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke


“That man makes me feel like I have my bonnet on backwards.” 
― Nancy E. Turner, These Is My Words


“Roses are for love. Not silly sweet-hearts' love but the love that makes you and keeps you whole, love that gets you through the worst your life'll give you and that pours out of you when you're given the best instead.” 
― Robin McKinley, Rose Daughter


“Look after my heart - I've left it with you.” 
― Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse


“Don't be self-conscious, if I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it.” 
― Stephenie Meyer, Twilight


“I'm gonna fight for you, until your heart stops beating.” 
― Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse


“I can't think of anything in the world lovelier than you.” 
― Brenda Hodnett, Sara in the Army


“I don't want you just in my thoughts always, I want you by my side always.” 
― Brenda Hodnett, Sara in the Army


“I thought I would have a heart attack just looking at you.” 
― Brenda Hodnett, Sara in the Army


I just want to read all these novels over again!

I love you, Christmas

I love you, Christmas. I love the warmth you bring to my heart. I love how you gently prod each of us to think more of others during this time of year. You bring out the best in people, Christmas. You help people give and give, even though they may have very little to begin with.

Let me tell you what you have done for me so far, Christmas. You have brought me angels! Not the angels with wings or the angels in heaven, but angels on earth. These angels have brought me a listening ear, and an understanding heart. Aren't these some of the best gifts of Christmas? You have given me an anonymous friend who comes to my doorstep every night to bring me some small gift of cheer. Oh, my dear Christmas, how this gladdens my heart! 

Do you know one of my most favorite things about you, Christmas? Your music! I love the sound of joyous voices, or the sweet notes of the Christmas symphony. I love to sing your songs, Christmas. 

But the dearest, sweetest part of you, Christmas, is the love I feel from Him whose birth and life we celebrate. For without Him, there is no Christmas; and without Him there is no joy, no love, and no goodness. All good things, especially you, Christmas, come from Him. It is Jesus Christ, our Lord, who moves us to compassion, to service, to forgiveness, to hope. He is the One who lifts us up out of our own, individual despair. He is real! He was born in Bethlehem and He died on Calvary! But most importantly, three days later, He lived again! And He still lives! He lives to bring us all to His higher ways, and to His constant and unconditional love. He is the best gift of Christmas and His love is freely given to every one of us!


Merry Christmas!

Shag-Doggy

Dear Shag-Doggy (written to the melody, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)


Dear Shag-Doggy,
I love you
When you're silent all night through.

I know you love to bark 'til dawn
But I do love it when you're gone.

Dear Shag-Doggy, 
Stay inside;
I really love it when you hide.

To The Snow That Saved My Reputation

Dear Snow,

Thank you for saving me from panic, embarrassment, and most importantly, from ruining my punctual reputation. 

You see, last Friday morning, I received a rude awakening from an obnoxious someone calling me early in the morning, just 20 minutes before my alarm was to wake me (don't you hate that?). I fumbled with the buttons on my phone to quiet the call, but I must have turned off my alarm in my dreamy, incoherent state because I promptly went back to sleep and my alarm did not go off 20 minutes later as it should have. 

You must know what a solid sleeper I am, Snow; you saw how I slept through the next hour and then some. I awoke to my child bouncing a ball in the hallway just outside my bedroom door. Since it is unusual for her to wake up before me on a school day, I was curious what time it was and glanced at my phone to found out. 

7:43! What?! It was 7:43! I had exactly two minutes to get my child dressed, fed, hair combed, and her lunch made in order to leave with enough time to drive her to school so she could promptly arrive before the final 8:00 bell. 

But, when I glanced out the window and saw heaps and heaps and heaps of you on the ground, Snow, I wondered who had made that irritating, early-morning phone call to me so I checked my voicemail.

It was the school district calling to tell me that school would be starting two hours late due to the snow! You saved me! You saved me, Snow!

And not only did you come down hard enough to stop the buses and some power lines, but you kept coming down, down, down, down! And at 8:30 I got another phone call to tell me school had been cancelled! Hooray! 

So, instead of a frantic, stressful scramble-of-a-morning, you gave me a calm, easy-going morning full of homemade waffles and cheerful children. Because of you, Snow, even Daddy got to stay home from work!

You gave our entire family hours and hours of new, adventurous playtime outside and a great excuse to build a cozy fire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows when we came in.

I don't even mind the heavy branches you caused to fall from our trees (and the trees all over the city) because you gave us a great day!

Next time I sleep-in like that, Snow, feel free to come the way you did. Thank you, my Snowy friend.

Oh, and by the way, you are so beautiful!

Affectionately,
A New Fan of Winter

PS. Did you see the angel I left for you?

The Greatest Love

Dear God,

I love you for giving me a beautiful world to live in. I love you for giving me a warm house in the winter. I love you for giving me two amazing, beautiful, pure, intuitive children who teach me so much about what is most important in life. I love you for giving me a family who loves me. I love you for putting people in my path that have been angels on earth to me. I love you for the subtle, tender mercies you show to me. I love you for being a caring God. Thank you for your love.


Love,
Your Daughter

The Love-Letter Cycle

How old were you when you received your first love letter?

The first love letter I remember getting was at school when I was in the third grade. I saw the boy next to me stuff something in the back of my tote tray in a trying-to-be-subtle-but-super-obvious way. I remember cringing to myself and thinking, "What is he up to now?" Right away I was determined to know his mischief. My teacher was lecturing so I tried to be quiet as I gingerly opened my tote tray to discover a folded piece of paper. 

This is exactly what it said inside (along with his punctuation errors, mind you):

Dear, Brenda

I love you

George

His name wasn't really George, but for our purposes it is. And you know what? I was no longer irked with him, but suddenly fancied myself in love with him too (this is when you sigh a cute, little, 'aaaahhh!').

Growing up I wished that love could be that simple, as simple as a child sees it. It's beautiful, isn't it? Children give "I love you" notes to lots of people all the time. Why? Because they truly love people. Now why does love get so complicated when we grow up? I don't know if any of us really know the reason, but we all know that it does. This is what love letters might turn into a couple of years later.

Hi. I like you. Will you go out with me?

I wonder, what does that really mean anyway? Did anybody ever go anywhere together? From what I remember it meant that you could wave shyly to a boy across the playground and giggle with your friends when he smiled back and say, "That's my boyfriend."

And then we move onto Junior High. Wow, are things complicated at this age! It is still acceptable to write your "crush" a note but certainly NOT acceptable to tell your admirer who you are. These letters go something like this:

Toby,

I think you are really cool. You have cool hair.

Love,

?????

But let's be clear that giving clues as to your identity is okay. For instance you might say, 

ps. My hair is long. I am in Mr. Knickerbocker's TLC class with you. 

Okay. Now we get to High School. Scary stuff. There is no way to explain all the complications of love during this awesome, amazing...horrific time of puberty. Love letters can be anywhere from: 

Hi! You totally rock! Let's hang out later! 

to 

You are SO smart and SO talented and you have the prettiest eyes I have ever seen. 

to

You are the deepest, deepest love of my life. I will NEVER love anyone as much as I love you!

Yikes! Yikes! Yikes!

A while back during one of my spring cleaning ventures I actually found a box of "love" letters I had kept from High School! I thought, 'why on earth have I kept these?' and promptly discarded them. That is, after I read a few. And maybe a few more. 

But, I can tell you how some of them read. Since I won't give you this person's real name, for now I will just call him Stud. 

Dear Brenda,

You are so AWESOME! Can I walk you to choir?

Stud

And I'm sure I had written back,

Dear Stud, 

YOU are so awesome! Of course you can! 

Yes, my love letters were very deep (and certainly correct grammar was not necessary in our correspondence).

Then, I found some that were pretty deep for a high schooler, but the thought of them makes me want to puke, so you will have to just use your imagination on that score.

Now that I am married, the love letters I receive from my husband are short and the best of the best. 

A simple note on the message board on the fridge, 

XOXOXOXOXOXO

It's perfect. No oogily words are necessary to know this great man loves me. 

And now I receive the sweetest notes from my children--the simple, pure, unashamed declarations of love:

MOM

I LOVE YOU

Accompanied by two stick figures holding hands, one short, one tall.

Now it seems that the love letters of life have come full circle. What a beautiful thing.