Don't Burn Bridges, Cross Them

I have been sent so many wonderful pictures and I have so neglected this gift I have been given. No more! I am going to cross that bridge and get back in line. Here is a great example of Love just hovering waiting to be noticed.

My niece Toni took a trip with friends of hers to New York and while there they crossed this beautiful bridge and had to take a picture. It wasn't until she got home that her children were looking at the pictures and one of then said, "hey Mom, did you notice the heart?" That's love for you!

Cross bridges, don't burn them. I had a really good friend in grade school that I truly admired. She was so pretty and as we got to that awkward stage it hit me head on but not her. She continued to be pretty and feminine. The only problem was our friendship suffered and we went separate ways. Recently I saw her name on Facebook and wanted to make contact with her. I wrote to her and asked if she remembered me to which she replied, "of course." I was so happy to talk to her again and I was so glad that I had not burned that bridge.

I think so fondly of many of the friends that I had in my youth. I wish that I knew where they all were so I could say, "Hi, I hope you are doing well." Friendship and love is just across the bridge, don't be afraid to cross it and for sure, don't burn it. Time will pass and so will hurt feelings and they will be replaced with fond memories.

Happy Birthday Samuel!

It's my sweet little boys birthday! He just turned a "quarter of a century old," as his father announced. Today Samuel was eating an apple and after the first bite and looking at the apple, he made that face that he makes when he questions something in unbelief. He turned the apple and showed it to his sister Charmaine to which she replied, "take a picture." I was actually asleep in the same room and quickly woke up at her words to see what needed picturing. Well, all I can say is, "Samuel Jr. you ARE loved!!!" Happy birthday, 25 is a pretty good number. You are the best son a mother could have.

Canning Apples

It has been weeks since I last blogged and here is one of the reasons why. We have had a wonderful crop this year of apples, plumbs, apricots, citrus and figs. I did take the time to can some apples and they turned out pretty good. I saved the one apple that had a heart shaped bruise on it so I could picture it with the canned apple sauce.

I learned to love doing things like canning from my grandmothers. Pickles and Chow Chow from my Gran Butler, Jelly and fruit from my Grandma Ollerton. I loved learning these skills and I love remembering the times I spent with them.

I love A Clean Kitchen & Dishes

This is a heart that Clarissa sent to me, she found it while she was doing dishes. This heart is soap bubbles on a cookie sheet. When my kids were little I tried an experiment to see if I could get my kids to like doing dishes. I would fill the sink with warm sudsy water and then put my hands in the water and rave on and on about how much fun I was having and how nice the water felt and how much I loved cleaning. Well it seems I was able to brain wash only one or two of my kids but I really do love a clean kitchen and an empty sink. One of my favorite surprises of the day is when I get up in the morning and go to the dishwasher to empty it and I find that my wonderful husband or son has already emptied it. I love that they know that small act will make my day.

My mother used to say that the dishes weren't done until the sink was clean and the counters and table wiped off. I would say the same thing to my kids and love hearing them rehearse the same to their families. Happy Dish Washing Everyone!

Happy Mother's Day

Well I had a wonderful surprise starting on Tuesday. As I was driving to the Temple I was thinking about my kids and how blessed I am to have them. I was thinking of how good they are and kind, hard working, supportive, great mothers, wonderful sons. I was especially thinking about how good they are to me. The girls have always shown great respect and friendship to me. That is not to say Samuel Jr. hasn't because he has -- it is just different with the girls. So anyway as I was driving along I was thinking that I really needed to let them know this Mother's day that as their mother I am so happy with them and the people that they have turned out to be. Well Clarissa beat me to the punch. I have found this situation to be true so often. Whenever I have been thinking a nice thought about someone it seems they too are thinking about me. Good karma I guess.

So anyway Clarissa gave me a 3 mile long heart attack, and this is how it went... Wednesday morning,Cindy Lines, my walking buddy called to get me going on the day's walk. As I was leaving the house Samuel told me to take my camera and take pictures of nice things for him. I said no I don't want to take my camera which I really didn't want to do and so I didn't. Anyway as Cindy and I started walking we got to the green belt just south of my house and there in the grass was a set of hearts that said, "I hope you enjoy your walk today." I thought that was very sweet and that someone had done something nice for someone, not even thinking it could be for me. Then a few steps later there was another set of hearts. These were just pretty plain ones in pastel colors and then it struck me that Samuel had been trying to get me to take my camera and that this may have been done by him but he couldn't have because he had just had surgery on Monday and he wouldn't have been up to getting out and doing all this. I just thought that someone else had a sweet child that was giving them a great day. I bemoaned my not bringing my camera to Cindy and before I even knew it she whipped out her camera saying that she grabbed her fanny pack this morning and that her camera just happened to be in it. She played the part so well, I totally believed her so I took her camera and went back to take pictures. Little did I know that I would be taking pictures for the full 3 mile walk that we take each day. About half way through Cindy said well I guess it is about time to give you this to which she handed me a card that Clarissa had taken to her to give to me. It was a very sweet card with an even sweeter sentiment written by her to me. Then I knew the hearts were from Clarissa and her family.

Some of the sayings that she wrote along the way are, "Motherhood is closer to divinity." "Mother Dear I love you so, your happy smiling face." "Roses are red, violets are blue, you are my mother and I love you." "A mother is a mother still the holiest thing alive." "A mother is the truest friend we have." "Of all the rights of women the greatest is to be a mother." "If at first I don't succeed, I do what my mother told me to do." "Mother's are real super heroes dressed as women." "You are beautiful." "You are talented." "Have a wonderful day." "Happy Mother's Day." "I love you." and my favorite, "When I grow up I want to be just like you!"

Those of you who follow my blog know that I find hearts everywhere I go but these hearts are among the sweetest because they were placed there on purpose. We may find love along our way and that is great, a good outlook at life but when someone goes out of there way to make sure you know you are loved that is when love really pays off. I love my children, all of them, boys too, but to my girls I want them to know I that I want to be just like them and that I think they are the greatest women and mothers that I know. I thank my Heavenly Father for them each and every day and pray for their happiness and success. I love them more than I can adequately express. And ofcourse to Clarissa, Thank you for the sweet expression of love from you and your sweet husband and Bou. I love you. Happy Mother's Day to all of the woderful women in my life.

Was That Love?

The other day I went to the Zoo with 3 of my daughters. Chantal was going with her daughter Katie's class and she invited Jenny, Clarissa and myself to go also. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We had a great time, only stayed until about noon, didn't loose anyone and avoided any major accidents. Sounds like success to me. As we were entering the Zoo there were tons of people going in the school entrance and so we went through the usual run of warnings to the kids to stay close to us. Each of the adults were to watch out for one of the kids so no one would get lost. All of the little cousins that live here in the area were there except Brian Jr. who should have been in school but stayed home sick. Anyway as we were walking into the zoo with tons of people around, Lacy shots out, "where is Brian?" She said it like she was really worried, suddenly she realized that he wasn't there and she wanted us to find him. It really touched me, I hope that when the cousins are older and they see one going astray or "not there" that they will worry and want to find them and bring them back. Now that is love.

(Picture taken at the Phoenix Zoo by Clarissa Baxter Feb. 25th 2010, we think it is a duck.)

Sweet Fruits of Love

This is one of those great pictures that a friend sent to me. Her name is Lisa. Lisa was preparing dinner for her family one evening and while cutting a cantaloupe in half she found this perfect heart. I love it! I can think of so many implications for where and how she found this heart but the strongest one I think of is all of is the Sweet Fruit of Love that we harvest when as a family we sit at the dinner table and eat together. I do not find preparing dinner to be fun, but I do it because I want to have a healthy meal together with my family, I do love having that time that we all rely on to be together, I do love that that is when we can talk about our day and what we are doing, what has made us happy or what has made us sad. The preparation of dinner, the setting of the table, and the time around it truly yields bountiful harvests of Sweet Love.

Loves Perspective

Love really is all about Perspective. How you look at things is how you will ultimately feel about life in the end. A sweet friend of mine while vacationing in Hawaii found this heart shape in what looked like to me, a huge cliff. You can see the ocean through the whole and it seems that the heart is huge and that you can really view life from it in a wonderful light. Then the next picture she sent shows her kneeling down behind the hole and it is only about the size of her face, the cliff is really just a rock and the ocean is very far away. It is just amazing to me how the angle of the camera and the positioning of the people made all the difference and that really is how life is. I have found that if I look at my husband with the thought on my mind that he is wonderful that I love him and that I want him close to me, well then that is exactly how I feel. But on the other hand if when he enters the room I think, here comes trouble, that is what I would get. I know that I am the happy person that I am because I am loved but also because I want to see love all around me were ever I can.
Loves Perspective is a way of life.

Fragile Love or Spicy Love

I find heart shaped chips quite often. It seems that I am usually with members of my family eating lunch and someone will find one. This chip is no exception, I think Clarissa found it. (It's a spicy bbq chip.) As I was looking through my pictures thinking about Charmaine and her upcoming 30th birthday I hoped to find one to convey the feelings that I am having at this time. I miss her so much and wish that we could all be together to celebrate this mile stone. I hope that she is able to realize just how much I love her and miss her, Randal and their boys. I hope that her heart isn't fragile and that she has a spicy good time. Charmaine you are Amazing and Wonderful, my heart is so blessed because of you. Happy Birthday, I love you!!!