The Gift

So, I get this email asking if I had received a pkg in the mail lately.  Nope, no package.  "Can the mail really lose this much?" I wonder to myself.  Five weeks ago I sent a check to my hair stylist, having neglected to bring my checkbook with me to my appointment.  I know, who writes checks anymore?!  Well, the check didn't arrive, and didn't arrive, until it finally arrived!  Three weeks later.  Anyhow, I stop in to the apartment office to inquire about this "box".  Sure enough, box had "just" arrived.  Hooray!

Terribly excited, because I knew who it was from - and it was going to be cool.  So cool.  My birthday continues!  Sure enough, box did not disappoint.

                                                                       

 Into a box of friendship

To insure that it is strong

First a layer of respect

On the bottom does belong.

Then to the sides attach,

In the corners where they meet,

Several anchors full of trust,

Devoid of all deceit.

The height of friendship can be measured

By the sides of four,

So make them all a larger cut,

And the box will hold much more.

Now fill it up with courtesy,

Honor and esteem,

Understanding, sympathy,

And passion for a dream.

Add to that your honesty,

Emotions joy and love,

And since they’re so important,

Place them up above

But leave the box wide open

So all can see inside,

To learn what makes a friendship work

From the box you built with pride. 

                                             - Chuck Pool

Where does a girl's eyes go first?  Glistening objects?  Well, yes.  But First I say ...

                                                                           Yes, to chocolate.

                                                                                                

But not just Any chocolate.  It seemed to .... well, .....

                                                                          

                                                                                   

                                                                                             glow.

    I swear I heard angels sing and fireworks in the distance.

    Or was it the euphoria?

                                                                          Delving deeper

                                     

                                          And deeper....

                                                                        resembling a brick of gold

                                               

                                        And deeper still ...

                                          

                                 "Bam!"  I yelled, "Jackpot!"

                                        We have chocolate!
                                                   (Brugge)




Ok, I admit.  This was a picture of the SECOND layer of chocolate.  Who knew?!

                                                                     

                                       And yes, there is a third.




                                As all good chocolate eaters know, we must consume with coffee!

                                                         

What better method to prepare our coffee with, but with a coffee spoon!  But not just any spoon ...

                                                                                

  Hand forged with quality stainless steel spoons!

                               intricate in detail ...                                                                           






Even my daughter, walking by, looked over at the spoons and said, "cool spoons."   :)


                                                                                      They are definitely cool.

 THE SPOON

Some days I think I need nothing

more in life than a spoon.

With a spoon I can eat oatmeal

Or take the medicine doctors prescribe

I can swat a fly sleeping on the sill 

or pound the table to get attention.

I can point accusingly at God 

or stab the empty air repeatedly.

Looking into the spoon’s mirror,

I can study my face in its shiny bowl,

or cover one eye to make half the world

disappear.  With a spoon

I can dig a tunnel to freedom

spoonful by spoonful of dirt,

or waste life catching moonlight

and flinging it into the blackest night.

                                            -- Richard Jones                                               

After the chocolate, I was a little messy.  I forged deeper into the box and found the answer...

                                     


Oh yeah, I came clean.  And I smell pretty too now.




              Next time someone says to me, "Did you receive a package in the mail lately?"  I'm going to drop everything and race to find it.  After all, it could be ............................... a box.     he he

                                                          
                                     Her lovely photography skills graced the card as well.      




Just Dreamy,


                    Thanks Lori!  OOXX                 




                                        

Sharing the Hard

                                                                                                                                               Lori Prosser

I spend a lot of mental energy on appreciating what I have.  In fact, I can almost deplete myself of energy simply by focusing on the here and now and being 'present'.  On my way to work this morning I was thinking how this time in my life, right now, is pure contentment.  I want to forever and always feel this way.  My parents, all my family members, are healthy enough and happy enough.  There will never be a time that will be better than this, simply because my loved ones are here and safe.  I know this is temporary, and someday my world will be tipped upon a new axis.  Everything will change in the blink of an eye - with a phone call.  Someday.  That very thought keeps me thankful and present.

I don't have all the money I wish I had, but I have enough.  I wish I had a meaningful, fulfilling marriage - but single-hood has it's pluses too.  I don't have a large home, but then I don't have a lot of waste either.  I do love my career, my kids are kind, and I have interests and friendships that fulfill my empty moments.  My church is my second family.  I have many blessings today.

What's most difficult at this time, is getting 'bad' news from my friends ... lost jobs, cancer, lost homes.  I never worry about what the 'right words' are to say in these situations - I know it's just enough to be there and express my sincere care, because I do.  I find my heart heavy for strangers on the street that look severely disabled, patients that walk out of our clinic alone having just been told they have cancer.  Children being handled roughly by a parent.  We need to take care of each other.

If I could be granted one wish today, I swear to you it would not be for money.  I would wish that everyone I laid eyes upon, this day, would be granted health, home, job, and happiness - and then I would make a point of getting to each of you to look into your eyes.

It is hard, sharing the hard, but one day I too will be needing you, to share in my upside down world.  And I know who'll be there.  Until then, I am here for you.

Don't wait until you get around to it, take care of each other now.
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Thank-you

Bloggers have a 'secret cellar' all to themselves which they can access via their dashboard - stats.  It shows us what countries our viewers are from.  What post has been looked at, and when.  What URL/site the viewer used to get there. What search words were used to get to their blog, what browser and operating system was used to view it as well.  We can not see your name nor anything that could identify you to us, unless you choose to leave us a comment - which can be anonymous as well.                                                                                       

I am a faithful blog-viewer myself, I have a total of 7 blogs that I keep up on - having their posts emailed to me so I don't miss a thing.  It doesn't occur to me to 'comment' on their blogs, and recently I got to thinking about it because they have no idea how much I look forward to their posts!  Now, I'm not saying that my blog is anything special, I really have it because I love to write - but when one of my brothers, over Christmastime, told me how very much he enjoyed my blog - I was shocked.  I didn't even know he read it!  It meant a great deal to me, even encouraged me to continue with it.  Thanks Dirk.  :)     

My request to you, as a reader, is if you find my blog enjoyable, entertaining, intriguing, or any other reason - even boring! Let me know sometime.  You can remain anonymous if you choose.  My favorite, all-time, comment is on my other blog - first comment on my very first post.  It is critical to the point of humorous.  In fact, I think it added to my post - though I"m sure it was not the intent!   It amused me so.  Others felt bad for me - I loved it.  Why?  It was a comment! He remains anonymous to you - but still my friend.  :)

                                                           
If you have any ideas for posts for me, anything you'd like to see me write about or photograph.  If you'd like to see more poetry, fashion, humor, arguments, designing... let me know.  I'll even attempt sports or politics if you ask nicely.  Nothing is out of the question - just ask.  As for my other blog, if you'd like to be a guest chef, please email me your recipe and I will give it a try in my own kitchen. - If I love it I will post it.  If I post it, I will send you a personal gift from my kitchen - guaranteed.  I will have a guest chef each month in the new year, and you can send as many recipes as you'd like.  Email your recipes to:  javatalk@hotmail.com


As for my stats, I find them fun.  Let me share:

• July was my most popular month for viewership.  Shouldn't we all have been outside playing in the sun?
• Least viewers?  October.
• Most popular post?  Lotsa Body - were you all expecting to 'see' something?  hmmm
• 2nd. most popular post?  Sneaking a Peek at Me - do we see a pattern here?
• Next is Bumbershoots, The Why's? and How Come's? of Blogging, and finishing in the top 5 is Make Mine a Latte.

Some search words that have brought random web surfers to my blog are:  coffee, mood, lick, life, sayings, comfort, picture of african girl on salt box with umbrella, thin lipped coffee cups, thomas merton quote, neurotic in front of trees, 911, nothing has changed, everything has changed.

Pageviews by countries:

United States 912

United Kingdom 42

Russia 17

Germany 13

Australia 8

Mexico 8

India 4

Brazil 2

Canada 2

Malaysia 2

Hungary                                                                                                                     1                                                                                                               

Indonesia                                                                                                                    1   

South Korea                                                                                                               1

Malaysia                                                                                                                     1

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Pageviews by Browsers:  

Internet Explorer 568 (55%) Firefox 218 (21%) Mobile Safari 101 (9%) Chrome 81 (7%) Safari 32 (3%) Mobile 8 (<1%) Opera 4 (<1%) NetNewsWire 3 (<1%) NS8 1 (<1%) Netscape                     1 Pageviews by operating systems

• Windows 842 (81%) Android 96 (9%) Macintosh 46 (4%) Linux 13 (1%) iPad 11 (1%) iPhone 10 (<1%) BlackBerry 7 (<1%) Palm 7 (<1%) Other Unix 1 (<1%)

It's all good.  Thanks for taking the time for lil' ole me.  :)

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