Little things

I have been thinking a lot of what a real valentine is this week as I see ad after ad after ad about what to give to show love. Diamonds, flowers, chocolate covered berries, cards that bloom, candlelit dinners, vacations to Greece (ok, made that one up) are all there. The expectations can be gigantic and the disappointments the same if that is what VD is to you. I admit, when I was much younger, and more romantically inclined, I craved some of those things, too. Now it is a little different.

Some of the greatest gifts of Valentines Day are so much less costly than what I see and hear from the ads and so much more meaningful. Who doesnt love the roughly cut red construction paper heart with the glued on doily lovingly handed to you by a little child? or the single blossom presented to you while the dinner is cooking and you are setting the table and the kids are noisy? The small things are better than the grandiose and, I believe, we should show our love to our sweethearts all the time, not just one day of the year, with valentines from the heart.

My Aunt Carole always called her husband Darlin'. That is a valentine. My father's signature on cards he gives my mother is almost always "Always and Forever". That is a valentine. My brother-in-law, to this day, always brings my sister her coffee in bed. A valentine. My own husband will go outside and scrape the ice and snow from my car whether he has to be up and out himself or not. A valentine. There are so many more things than what we see on tv or in the mall that mean love. Think back. A fistful of dandelions. The stronger than possible hug of a toddler. The excitement of holding hands for the first time. The whisper of I love you. The surprise ice cream sundae. The private joke that always always makes you smile. The music of the shared giggles of your teenagers. Valentines all and little things that dont come in heart shaped boxes.

In as much as I wish to travel to Greece, or toast an anniversary in Tuscany, or dance at the top of the Empire State Building, I crave the real symbols of love that come from the heart.

There was an old song that touched on this premise, about thoughtfulness. It has the line, "give her your heart to rely on". The song is called Little Things Mean A Lot. They do.

p.s. I will try to put my favorite rendition of this song on here, if I can figure it out!!

Godspeed

Here I sit on the cusp of a new year, wrapped in my Snuggie with my old graying dog on my feet looking out the window into the equally graying sky on the first of January, 2011. It is the day after the night of reflection for the world when we ponder the what ifs and if onlys of the past and look forward to the future with hope.

I am an optimist. I know the cup is half full. I believe in something bigger than me and I know the power of love. I also know the sting of life. I see the hurt on the faces of those I love when reality slams into them one more time. We miss what we can no longer have. We yearn for the things we may never get. Our broken or wounded hearts struggle through one more day. We need each other, I know for a fact I need all of you. So here is what I wish for this new year.

To my friends both new and old I wish more. More of everything that makes you wonderful to me. Good songs, good stories, funny sayings and doings. I wish you sunny skies and Whipples in summer, that all your auditions get your great parts, that your free time is filled with happiness and contentment. I wish you all had a cleaning service so that we could spend more time playing and less time looking at the messes we create.

To my parents and my aunt and uncles I wish good health, easy days, companionship and hugs from the many people who love you.

For my siblings and cousins,nieces and nephews, I pray for only good to come your way, for the joy we find in each other to continue, for the adventures of our lives to always be intertwined and for us to revel in each others lives for many many years to come. I wish to see the apron decorating more worldwide hot spots, to break good bread and raise glasses of cheer with each of you more often.

I hope for a life of new opportunities for my sons, filled with love, laughter and all that will make their hearts sing. I pray for them to never give up on their dreams and continue to give the world the talents that they have been blessed with. May the obstacles you face be only as small as pebbles in the road and may you have a hand to hold as your journeys continue forward. You are the very best things I have given the world and I am incomplete without you both in my life.

To my husband I wish you peace of mind and down time. I hope you are rewarded soon for the many many extra hours you give for free so that others can have stress free events. That we continue to lean on each other and somehow make ends meet even when it seems impossible. That you laugh more, travel more and see more of the world away from the computer screens of your life. I wish you more time to sing and play both on stage and off. I look forward to sitting beside you at the beach looking for dolphins in the waves.

This will do. Godspeed to all. Happy New Year.