"whoever touches us, teaches us....."

Thursday, November 29, 2007

15 That he blew me a kiss on the interstate

Oh I know..mushy, hopeless romantic that I am...a kiss is just a kiss, right? Well I thought it was the mega kiss of all times. We had both left for work in separate cars, headed in the same direction. At the point where I go straight and he turns off, I caught up and passed him, looked over to wave...and he blew me a kiss. Just one little kiss, blown across the traffic lanes of people hurrying along to their daily chaotic lives. It suspended above the highway and fell like dust caught in the light of the sun, straight into my heart. What man thinks of that ?
Some people are just born with a loving heart.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

14 He spent Thanksgiving with me

Not that there aren't worse things in the world...but meeting family can be a really tedious event. My family is pretty easy to "mix" with; we are rich and poor, young and old, semi-sane and semi-looney. We believe that where you came from, what you did, and what you have is not nearly as important as who you are and how you live your life. Who is Larry.....he is the kind of man who made a point of talking to every person in my family, which ranged from 82 year old Mom, my 85 year old uncle, my sister and her husband, various young people who came and went all weekend. After he left, each made a point of telling me how much they liked him, but every one also added what a good conversationalist he is. But his best brownie points were made with the Uncle who served in WWII and found an audience in Larry. When he finished his war story, Larry got up, went over and shook his hand and thanked him for serving his country. Over the last few days I have heard my uncle tell about this moment at least ten times....those few words meant the world to him; he said it was the first time in his life someone had taken the time to say that to him. Later, when I sat and counted my blessings, Larry was right in the midst of "family" for whom I am so thankful ..... every one of them!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

13 Speaking of milk


The other day I was lazing away in the bed and Larry offered to get me a coffee. Which is nice in itself...it was cold in the house and I wasn't fully awake yet. It took him a few minutes to return. Now, you have to realize I am a wussy coffee drinker. None of that unblemished black stuff for me. I have to have it caramel in color and sickeningly sweet with sugar. You could give my coffee to a 2 year old if it had less sugar in it. I usually use a powdered creamer, not because I like it particularly, but because cream and milk make the coffee barely warm. I want it hot and creamy and sweet! So Larry, the ever so thoughtful man that he is...has brought me this great cup of coffee. And what took him so long? He was heating milk for my coffee so it would be the way I like it!
Some people listen and some people don't.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

12 He likes Cheerios

He likes cheerios. I like Honey Nut Cheerios. Its almost the only cereal I eat. I keep a box at my desk because I usually don't have time for breakfast.....that last 15 minutes of womb-like sleep makes me late , scatter-brained and ravenous for the better part of the morning. Cheerios are neat, can be eaten out of your hand, and you can eat the ones you drop on the floor if you get 'em quick enough. Dogs love cheerios, for instant clean up; and they make good ammo for finger flicking across the room at people. You can eat a bowlful or you can eat 3 cheerios. I usually eat them out of the box, because I don't care for milk.
Uh-oh...Larry loves milk, that is number 1 on a new list.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

11 That he loves working with wood

Larry likes to do wood work. I like power tools. In fact, I love power tools. I love my drill, I love my power sander (that recently broke...adding to Christmas wishlist), I like my circular saw though I find it a bit intimidating. I always dreamed of a really great workshop/area where you could really go at it with power tools. I always am working over kitchen counters, trying not to drill through to the laminate, or sawing over the edge of the dining room table.....not the best set up. Larry likes to build stuff and makes beautiful carvings. He knows a little more about what he is doing than I. So I am hoping someday Larry will set up a nice wood shop and I can play with my power tools!!!! We both liked Tinker toys as children, then Erector sets and even Logos. Guess we never stop playing with toys........

Thursday, November 8, 2007

10 That he doesn't freak out when I cry

Lately, I cry a lot. Odd for me, because I have always had somewhat of a tough persona, am fairly independent and I keep my emotions in check. Used to anyway. There's something about Larry that makes me cry a lot. Its certainly not bad things he does. Its more like the sweeter he is or more endearing he becomes, the more it triggers my tear reflex. I cry for his sadness in the changes divorce has brought to him and I cry for the life I wish I had with him. The other night, he was talking to his youngest daughter about his upcoming visit to see her. She asked him if he could spend the night with her at her house (his ex's house). Hours later I was still sniffling. The sweet innocence of a child reminds you how fragile they are, and how they are affected by divorce. They are forever hopeful that the original family will once again dwell together under the same roof. You have to cry for that.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

9 That he let me cut his hair

Maybe you all aren't as picky about your hair as I am...I wince in the salon when the first strand is snipped. I have to watch, no matter how painful. Larry, on the other hand, didn't even ask for my credentials when I offered to cut his hair. He didn't even ask if I had ever done it before. And he didn't even watch in a mirror. True, he has good hair, hard to mess it up I think... unless I had buzzed it into a mohawk. Still, he showed great restraint.... as well as a little trust. And saved $10 and got a not too bad haircut!!!!!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

8 That he wants to build a house with his own hands


I have never had aspirations to build a house. My dream is to renovate one...myself !! My dream house has porches and cedar shingles, stone fireplaces and leaded glass, dormers and windows that let sunlight creep across the dark wood grains....
Larry's dream house is altogether different. His is built with his own hands. He has an interest in some sort of old art of building walls with cordwood/stackwood. It makes a beautiful pattern that looks sort of like stone. Apparently one can build this house for a fraction of the usual costs. I went so far as to look at some pictures of houses other people have built. One was built with blue glass bottles laid into the walls in a pattern. They catch the light and reflect in a dazzle of blue stars across the wall, like looking into the heavens. I can only imagine the satisfaction that building your own house would bring. An endeavor that would likely have lots of uh-ohs, but would ultimately result in a piece of architecture that is made up of your mind , body and soul. That's what dreams are; its who we are, where we are going, and the hope that takes us there. (picture courtesy of daycreek.com)

Friday, November 2, 2007

7 That he folds his dirty clothes


Now, don't think for one minute I mean he folds his dirty clothes...just at my house. He doesn't throw them on the floor, he folds them into a tidy little pile and leaves them sitting on the foot of my bed. Adding a few more items to a load of laundry is nothing to me. Actually, laundry is one of the chores I kind of like to do. I love taking warm fresh smelling clothes out of the dryer and I like hanging or folding them neatly. I really like doing it for him. There is rarely opportunity to "do something" for him, so this chore I relish. Those folded dirty clothes left on my bed are my assurance that he will return again, once more giving me a chance to wash, dry and fold him into my life.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

6 That when he saw me naked for the first time he didn't wince

Ahhh, youth.....Just you all wait. It creeps away in the still of the night and you wake up one day, look in the mirror and "EEEEEEK, what happen ? And worse, my God how am I going to cover that up, lift that up and squeeze all that in ?" An unrecognizable face looks back at you, but Cover Girl can fix that. A little here, a lot there, makeup can illuminate even the most disastrous age related mishaps. But the body....here lies another story. You have never experienced fear itself until you get naked for the first time for a new man. What is it with men, they hardly change at all; maybe a few pounds or a hairline recedes....but at least they don't have body parts that are non-resistant to gravitational pull of the earth. I started out getting in bed with pj's on, then I graduated to dropping my drawers by the side of the bed and hopping in in one swift motion ( and in the dark mind you). I have now comfortably arrived at a place where I don't worry as much what I look like, although I still can't parade around naked ....maybe if I had a few martinis in me!
But Larry acts like he sees me as I was when I was 30. I had a pretty good body then, along with flaming red hair. I was confident in myself. I still have the hair (thank you God for not making me go bald, even though you gave me a few greys) but the body gave up the ship after pregnancy. I expected horror on Larry's face or at least a preference for lights out...but he looks at me like he sees the glorious me of my younger days. He watches me, both when I am clothed and not. And he never misses a chance to tell me I am beautiful. But more than that he treats me beautifully as well. He looks into my eyes when he talks to me and he touches me incessantly. He has found a much nicer person than the one I was when I was 30.
....Now, to the treadmill !!