5 That he hangs out in the kitchen with me

A lot of my time with Larry is "spent with food". We both are Food Network addicts, I love to cook, he loves to bake, and I spend entirely too much time talking about food. I have an unending need to hear what he had for his past meals when we are apart. He can't just tell me he had a ham sandwich; I have to hear what went down first, mayo, then cheese, what kind?...gouda, havarti, tomatoes, what kind of onions, was it drippy, was it GOOD??? When my only son went away to college, I called him almost daily to ask what he ate. I thought that if he was eating, that meant he made his way to the dining hall, and that he must be safe and happy.
But what I really like is that Larry will pull up a stool and sit and watch me cook... chatting, sometimes grabbing me for a kiss between chopping and stirring. I love to cook anyway, but putting out daily meals can become pure drudgery. My kitchen used to be a place for chores, but now it has its own stories to tell. I would never have dreaded cooking when I was married before, had I had a partner who shared it with me like this. I would have been cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner, and at least 2 snacks in between!!! I think you can learn the whole being of a person from the way he deals with food. You can nurture a mound of dough into a warm sweet loaf, or you can by a loaf of white bread. This man is whole wheat with honey.

4 That he made me bread

One of my fondest memories will always be one morning when I left my house for work. Hanging on my garden gate was a simple grocery bag. Wrapped in many layers of foil was a loaf of homemade bread. A simple loaf of bread.....but I saw it as a profoundly tender gesture; to make bread for someone is such a personal act. I never knew a man who could even make bread much less share it with me ! I saw it as not just as a gift of bread, but sharing a moment of ones life. It was an act that brought joy to my life. That loaf of bread was better than any gift that any amount of money could buy. That was the day I realized that I loved Larry. I don't for one minute confuse a loaf of bread with an act of love. But I see in that bread what I need in a man...warm, simple and true; nourishment for the heart and soul.

3 How much he loves his kids

Now, you might say...every man loves his kids... true enough. But Larry loves his kids on a level I see rarely in a man. Most men have a tendency to not show devotion to their children. Maybe because he feels he has "lost" them in a sense; since his divorce his time with them is limited to the every other weekend thing. That's not enough for him ...he cherishes every minute he has with them, then spends the next two weeks missing them after they are gone...then starts it all over. His heart is broken over it. I don't want to lose him, but the day will come when he has a chance to be closer to them. And at least I can know, that while my heart will be broken; his will be mended somewhat. And that will be good.

2 That he is so kind

Larry is the kindest man I have ever met. Even in anger he has a tendency to end it on a kind note, usually accepting whatever blame himself. I have never heard him be accusing nor mean spirited. I have never heard him say "I hate ..." He always has something good to say about everyone, even those who no longer deserve his kindness. He is a good man. And the longer I know him, the more I find kindness in myself.

1 That he is so articulate

I met Larry basically through email. We corresponded for many weeks while I was spiraling down in a dead end relationship with someone else. After recently divorcing, I was quite afraid of that first encounter so I insisted that we learn about each other through many emails, which soon progressed to instant messaging.. .What I noticed first about him , although it seems trivial to most; was that he has an extraordinary ability to write his thoughts. His thoughts flowed to paper effortlessly, grammatically correct and even better..NO misspelled words... I loved that!!!! Never at a loss for words, he talks and writes with great command of the kings English; an attribute hard to find these days.

The First Entry

Everyone else seems to be reading and writing blogs these days, so I think I will give it a try. I sit trying to conjure up some titillating subject matter; something that will attract some of those readers away from the competition. Perhaps a story of my 54 year old life....if I use my most vivid imagination, I might be able to come up with enough fictitious literature to interest a few boomers. Actually, the original reason I started this was just to check it out. I want my best friend to start a blog. He has a topic that I think will be interesting to a lot of people. He also has a gift of putting his thoughts onto paper. He claims to know nothing of blogs; so I am checking out this seemingly simple auto-blog that is mistake and excuse free. I will continue to post on my blog about him not doing his blog, until he actually begins his blog. Since the beginning of this paragraph, I have decided to write my blog about this man. Nothing that will identify him or embarrass him. Well...embarrass him maybe. He doesn't know that on my computer in my living room, I have been composing a list; "100 Things I Love About Larry". I think I am up to near 50. I limit myself to adding no more than 1 a day. I started it back when I first met him and knew that I would eventually love him. So, here I will present all "100" to anyone who is interested....1 thing I love about Larry for each post. I wish that I had started this blog when I started the list, but I will do my best to recall what provoked each thought. Maybe it will make some of you think about what you truly love about those around you, and maybe you will share your list with that person or with these readers!