~Back From the Sea~

What a beautiful time we had by the sea the past two weeks. We met two dear friends we don't see often enough. Laura and I became friends in the 8th grade. We were 13-years-old. We literally 'grew up' together sharing the secrets that teen-aged girls share: secrets of crushes, first kisses, first dates, being 'grounded' by our parents, going off to college. (we both became elementary teachers) After that, we planned our weddings. Laura was MY maid-of-honor, and I was HERS!! She married her high school sweetheart...I married my college sweetheart. Her husband, Rick, ended up in the marines, and they've lived all over the country over the last 40 years. Jim and I went to visit them in most of the places they lived. They ended up in California...we stayed near both our families in Ohio.

 Laura's mother died 2 years ago. Up until then, she came in often to visit her mom...and of course, we always had time to visit and 'catch up' with each other. So now...we have to have another plan to get to see each other. We started a new tradition: one year they will meet us on the island.....the next....we'll travel to their home in CA. We had such a nice visit the past week with them: lots of giggling,(Laura emailed a correction "We didn’t giggle; I recall loud guffaws.")  still....sharing lives, books, recipes....just like old times! I will miss her dearly until we meet again!

Today's Blessings:

~I thank God for our piece of "Heaven" at our villa on the island.

 ~For good friends: the old who share our 'history'; the new who share our present lives.

~For memorable vacation time that lingers in our hearts and minds.

~For time away that makes us eager to leave...but happy to return home.

~For the comfort and joy of early mornings in my studio....watching the sun come up with Rosie and coffee~

~For the end of summer and the beginning of autumn....you can just smell the difference in the air~

Happy Monday Blessings to all of you, wherever you are in this world, from me and Rosie, as we head to the studio with a mug of Pumpkin Spice Coffee. Hmmmmmmm.....