Monday, June 21, 2010

be·lov·ed: greatly loved and dear to the heart

Have been thinking on many people and happenings that are beloved to me. It's humbling and wonderful to realize, through their words, actions, and deeds - that I'm someone beloved to them also. Life is too short not to show our love for others, and too long to get through it without love shown to you. I am blessed and thankful for the love that is shown to me in my life. I have COUNTLESS experiences of love that I could share, but they'd fill up a blog every day for a year! So, with a few free minutes I've found myself with today, thought I'd share just a few "Love is..." experiences I've had in the past couple of weeks (this list is not all-inclusive):

Love is my best friend, Andrea, making an overnight - immediate turnaround - 8.5 hour road trip (both ways) to deliver her most precious cargo to me.

Love is that same friend giving me the gift of two special weeks to spend loving and laughing with my youngest Godchild.

Love is a friend who shows up with power-steering fluid and a flashlight and helps figure out just what's wrong with my car - in the humid heat of late afternoon.

Love is a friend who follows you to the mechanic shop and takes you to work while the car is being repaired - and who brings you beautiful flowers from her garden too!

Love is a friend who makes a delicious dinner and invites you over to watch a Barbara Streisand movie on the night of your Mother's open heart surgery so you don't have have to be alone with your worry.

Love is having my teenager, happily, re-do pretty braids, paint 10 cute toddler fingers, and paint 10 "Corbin-pretty" toes almost every night for two weeks just because it made Ashleigh happy!

Love is having friends who happily drive Rebecca (and Ashleigh) to and fro for me so I don't miss work and they don't miss the fun!

Love is Ashleigh saying "This is a good sandwich Missy!" and "I really love you Missy!" and a million other truly sweet things.

Love is having my teenager clean the dishes - even when I didn't ask her too.

Love is sending an electronic singing Snow Woman to live out the remainder of her battery-driven days in Baton Rouge with Ashleigh!

Love is having friends who let you interrupt their anniversary dinner to drop your teenager off, and then treat that teenager like one of their own - making sure she has a good time while you are gone.

Love is a friend who thoughtfully chooses and then gives you your birthday present early, so you have time to read it during your short sabatical from day-to-day living.

Love is having a friend who will pick you up, load you up, and get you to the airport at 6 o'something in the morning - with a smile and a cheerful attitude - even when they didn't get any sleep the night before.

Love is a 4 year old Ashleigh putting her arm around me when she watched my smile fade as our plane was landing last Thursday morning, and saying "It's Ok. I'm not scared!"

Love is my neice, Meagan, walking towards me in the airport with a smile beaming across her beautiful face.

Love is seeing all the hugs of reunion at the airport, and receiving my own hug too!

Love is pulling into my Best Friend's drive way, seeing her smile to see me, and hearing her little girl say with need and excitement, "THAT'S MY MOMMY!"

Love is walking into my own Mother's house, seeing her looking lovely, alive and well, and saying to myself - with need and great relief, "THAT'S MY MOMMY!"

Love is the smell of my Aunt Maureen's unparallelled cooking wafting through the kitchen and being told "I made a special lunch for you." (Shrimp Fettucinni - the best ever!)

Love is being able to enjoy the time I spent with my Mom knowing my Kitty Cats were begin looked after and cared for.

Love is sitting up until midnight talking and laughing with my neices Layne and Jalisacia.

Love is Mom waking me up just after 6:00 a.m., instead of just before, so we can get our walk in during the coolness of early morning.

Love is eating hot, boiled crawfish from Tony's with Lydia and Mom - a great last meal and a great way to spend my last day in Louisiana!

Love is being picked up at the airport super late at night (11:00 pm!) by a water-skiing tired and road-weary friend, and then having that friend wait in the driveway until I could prove we were safely inside our home!

Love is collapsing in my own bed, uncomfortably and with my body at weird angles because of my long, lean and leggy daughter snuggling in with me and my big (read: fat) cats curling up into (read: squeezing themselves into) the sparse remaining spaces of my mattress and covers.

Love is praying for sleep to come quickly, and receiving an immediate answer to the prayer.

Love is waking and realizing how very blessed I am to be loved and cared for by so many special, wonderful people - young, old, human and feline - you are all beloved to me and I am ever-grateful to count you as friends.

This is my beloved and this is my friend. ~Song of Solomon 5:16

3 comments:

  1. Awwww. I love you too aunt Missy. I am so hAppy I got to spend a little time with you. Love you and miss u lots.

    ReplyDelete
  2. awwwwwww, that made me cry. I love you aunt Missy!!! I had fun to Layne and I will have to come and see you so we can hear more stories!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So happy that LOVE is profoundly prevelant in your lives....could it be because of the LOVE you give out.

    LOVE is taking care and loving my dog for a month.

    Be blessed, dear one, because you are a blessing.

    L., B.

    ReplyDelete