It seems only right to acknowledge that there are lessons one can learn daily. This presumes of course that a) you’re looking for them, b) you have the luxury of stopping long enough to internalize them and c) you limit the distortion of your perceptions so that you don’t walk around thinking you know everything already.
Rather than write about the weekend in totality, I think I’m just going to share some of the more powerful takeaways…
– I can’t explain the existence of angels that sit on my shoulder any more than I can explain their alter egos jumping up and down like maniacs on the other. What do you make of an email from a friend you have never met, reaching out to you because of a sense that you’re blue? Hundreds of miles separate us, I wouldn’t recognize her if we passed each other on the street – yet, we are connected in some inexplicable way that gave her clear, unfettered access to my heart on Sunday morning. She wrote to check in; she just ‘had a feeling’…How incredible are moments like that? How do you not feel that there is much about the universe that just defies explanation, but demands our gratitude? And how stupid would we be if we didn’t stop to feel thankful? Friends are gifts that are given to us – they have different parameters; different ‘past due dates’ – in that some will last for a while, others forever, some enter through a door you didn’t even know was open, and some need to move along for reasons that may or may not have anything to do with you. Never ignore the presence of an angel’s wings – you’ll feel them against your check, as soft as a breeze, reminding you that you are connected to something far larger than you can imagine. Yes Lori – I’m writing to you – with full heart and awe that you knew…
– While walking by a crafts store I saw a listing of open positions for which they were hiring. One title caught my eye – “Replenishment Associate”. I think this means ‘stock clerk’. And I suppose that I am a ‘domestic goddess’. With this change in title, I now expect to be treated with greater deference.
– My nephews are delicious, though I have learned that it is a bit unwieldy to have a 19-year-old sit in your lap or hold a 22-year-old in the same way you held him when he was two. You do love them just as hard though..
– Your family may define you in one way, but it doesn’t define you in all ways. Having most of my cousins over on Saturday reminded me how small our family has become, that there is still mystery inherent to birth order, and position within a familial hierarchy doesn’t change. In most ways, you remain exactly in the same place – which can be both comforting and disquieting. It is easy to succumb to a lot of the feelings of self-doubt and isolation that reside in the far corners of memory. And as you slowly retire from those recesses and come back to yourself, there is nothing like having your sister there to remind you of the here and now, your sons to hug you one minute longer than necessary and your husband quickly anchor you and make sure you don’t fly too far away. If you look for reasons to feel loved or reasons to feel lonely, you will find both – choose love.
Waiting for the Karma Truck 
Love, love, love. Thank you for this.
Thank YOU!! 🙂
Beautiful post.So sincere and heartfelt. I love it. And that photo on the bottom leaves me speechless, which is rare. 😉 Hope you’re feeling better today…
I am – thank you so much…Sometimes I guess I get overwhelmed by stuff (sounds pretty human I think)..I too love that photo..and can stare at it for minutes without noticing the passing of time..:-)
I hear you – probably the sign of a full life – but I think people like you and me have to be sure that it doesn’t get too full, huh? Glad to hear the blues are movin’ on down the road…
Dear Goddess, another beautiful post.
Thanks Thomas…and you can just call me ‘friend’…I try to keep my goddess title for when I’m in formal company..:-)
Awwww, Mimi, what a beautiful post–you are such a sweetheart!! I don’t always understand where my blessings come from, but I do my damnedest to appreciate them when they arrive, and YOU, my dear friend, are a “blessing par excellence.” 🙂 I try very hard to keep my heart open and send out the energy that I want to receive. It’s amazing what comes back. Suffice it to say that, after reading this, I don’t have to look far to feel loved today!! 🙂
I think you excel at keeping your heart open, and I want to try and do as well with that ability as you do. And no, you don’t have to look far to feel loved ever – for there is truly love all around you…and I’m just lucky to be one of those who loves you very much..
XOXOXOXOXXOXOX
Back at ya babe!! Always.
P.S. that last photo is *incredible*–the tenderness it communicates makes me ache….
Me too – I think it is exquisite..
A beautiful post, Mimi. I just wanted to offer a different opinion about the whereabouts of the greatest secrets. I’ve often come across them in the most obvious places… sometimes, right under my nose. I think it’s a matter of receptivity… or being open minded.
I don’t disagree Shimon …for Lori’s email was such an example of a marvelous secret making itself known to me when I least expected it – and wasn’t looking. I believe there are gifts all around us if, as you note, we are open minded and not judgmental of that which we receive.
Love hearing from your heart… There are lessons to be learned all day long, we just need to take that moment as you said to listen…
What a beautiful comment Tina – I am grateful that you like my ramblings. I wish sometimes that my writing could be as fluid and on-message as yours…And you are right of course – there are lessons all around us – if we try to stay attuned..
Ah Mimi, what is so fun about blogging and meeting bloggers is that we all have our own style, but what drives it is our passion for doing what we do. It is so much fun to read so many different writers thoughts and perspectives. Thank you for the wonderful connection 🙂
You don’t need to explain your angels watching over you because I already know that angels watch over all of us even those who don’t believe in angels………
Yes yes yes we are all alotted a postion in our family and with that comes some expectations of us and we just seem to fall into the spot and act in the way that seems to be expected of us when we are around our family.
I so agree with you take on friends not that I have many friends I am a loner always have been always will be………..lol
Your spirit and laughter just jump off the screen!!
So dear, so true.
You one very very special person.
🙂
Mimi…I love you and love how you love. May your life ALWAYS be shared with those that show you the same. You deserve it.
xo
R
Thank you sweet and wonderful Rhonda – sometimes extended family dynamics can turn me around a little bit…but I am always going to love the way that I do. And I am beyond blessed that there are some in my life who get it, and honestly I just need the ‘some’. I don’t need the ‘all’. It took me a long time to get that, you know? xox
Yes my friend, I do. Not only do I know…I relate completely. And that’s fine, because it allows me to appreciate the ‘some’ even more. Like you, was a lesson learned later in life, but that’s ok. Better late than never.
xo
R
Absolutely…enjoy and revel in the ‘some’ – cause they sure love you like crazy..and in all the ways that are right..xo, m
perfectly so mim
Great post! My heart shrunk a little when reading “you love them as much when they are 19 and 22, as when they were 2 years”. 🙂 Reminds me to enjoy those sitting on the lap, kisses and hugs now (mine are almost 4 and 10 months), because when they are 22 they will still will love you as much as when they were 2, but they likely have other kissing and hugging priorities.
Well, two of mine are married now – and they still indulge me with all the kisses and hugs I can squeeze into them (and they live close by)…And I still cry when they leave, as I did when I dropped them off at school. They certainly do have other kissing and hugging priorities, but some things just won’t change – a mom’s love.
What a beautiful post!
Thank you so much!
This post is so beautifully written and powerful with great messages and reminders.
There were several places where I stopped to re-read something, not because I didn’t understand it the first time but because it was so beautifully stated and/or so imporatnt a messge that I wanted to savor and capture the moment.
Thank you, Mimi, for another wonderful post!
Rus
I feel so fortunate when something I post resonates with someone else. That it would strike you as something to ‘capture’ in your thoughts is certainly far more than I could ever ask for or expect. Thanks Russ – I am so, so glad you enjoyed the post – and appreciate your comments more than you know..Mimi