February 28--More Love

The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough of is love.  --Henry Miller

    I'm loving the fact that this is the last day of February. I know this makes no sense, but February is the longest month of the year. Cold temps, yucky weather, tax work getting crazy, it seems like spring will never get here. 

    I love you, dear readers. I invite us all to open our hearts today and be a presence of love in a world that surely can use it. Let our mighty lights chase away the darkness.

        Leta

February 27--Traveling Together

Love is what you've been through with somebody.  --James Thurber

    That's a good one! I've been married to the same man for going-on 36 years, and we've been through a LOT. Making it through the ups and downs of life with someone surely is a testament to love. 

    I think of my young life in Pennsylvania. My maternal grandparents both passed when I was quite young, and that was fertile ground for a lot of grief, distress and a broken relationship between my parents. They did their best to care for me through it all, and I love them for that. My older brother living nearby started having children when I was 10, so I was blessed to go through the early years with his four kids, and there is still lots of love among us fifty-some years later.  

    Thurber's quote is what raising kids is all about. Loving them enough to say "no," to enforce rules, to experience wins and losses, to figure things out for themselves and understand consequences--these are not things for the faint-of-heart--powerful love is essential. 

    I've been through a lot with a lot of folks and I love them a lot. I wish you the same blessing!

        Leta

Earthrise, Astronomy Picture of the Day,
2/27/22

February 26--Freedom to Love

Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away.  --Dorothy Parker

    Quicksilver is the common name for the chemical element mercury, a name given to it I expect because it is the only metallic element that is liquid. There are also many other things named quicksilver like a band and a clothing brand--it is quite popular.

    Ms. Parker invites us to unite love and freedom. Efforts to grasp, control and keep a loved one are futile, frustrating both parties and encouraging escape. If we can't live and let live, allowing others to be who they are and pursue the desires of their hearts, it's not love, and why would they want to stay? 

    Barney, our sweet dog, is a perfect example. He's so adorable, I just want to hug and squeeze and snuggle him. He tolerates that only for a couple seconds. But if I sit quietly on the couch reading or crocheting, he'll come and lie by my side for hours. True love!

        Leta

I remember playing with this as a kid.

February 25--Love is the Best Thing

If you are in love--that's a good thing. That's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don't let anyone make it small or light to you.  --John Steinbeck 

    I consider my older son and his new bride and how in love they are. In a year's time, they moved into a brand new home, got married and are expecting a little one. It is a joy to behold. All parents want their children to be happy. I'm seeing that, and it is the best thing. It is priceless. 

    I am grateful for the many years of love my husband and I have shared. It has made my life mostly a piece of cake. I am spoiled. I consider that a compliment, a "best thing." There is a tendency to take the spouse for granted, that he or she will always be there, but we certainly know that may not be so. 

    Whatever love looks like for you on a daily basis... spouse, family, friends, pets... it is big and bright and wonderful. Revel in it!

        Leta

Big pile of love right there!

February 24--Love Being Love

Love is most nearly itself when the here and now cease to matter.  --T. S. Eliot

    When we are absorbed in someone or something we love, time ceases to exist... that's love. 

    When we are around someone or doing something that we would rather not, that's drudgery, and time seems to crawl. That's not love. 

    Love enables us to fly. It is stronger than gravity!

        Leta

Doodles by my friend, PH

February 23--The Best Stuff

Only the heart knows how to find what is precious.  --Fyodor Dostoyevsky

    Health... family... friends... home... satisfying work... freedom... peace of mind. Those are the ones my heart offered to me this morning. 

    At the end of each yoga class, during savasana (relaxation time), I sit quietly and lovingly bless each one of my students. My usual go-to is "blessings, love, joy, peace, harmony and wholeness be yours now and forever." My students are precious to me. My time in Clearwater, Kansas teaching and doing taxes has created a personal community that makes my heart happy. I love the small town and its folks. 

    Beauty--that's another heart-precious item. Below is a photo of the magnificent Kansas sunrise on Feb. 21, 2022.  

    Where will your heart take you today?

        Leta

2/21/22, Wichita, Kansas ❤❤

February 22--I'm Lovin' It

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.  --Rumi

    My older son and I were discussing the other day how we love "geeking out" on the topics of money, finances, investments, taxes, etc. (Note that I am quite comfortable with being such a nerd.) I am in the midst of the busiest part of tax season. It's stressful, but I love it. It uses my skills well, and I thoroughly enjoy playing with numbers and figuring things out. In the seven years I've done taxes, I have learned so much, and that continues to generate even more questions, thus even more learning. 

    In my assortment of part-time "jobs," I am generally either teaching or playing with numbers. It's a good right-brain, left-brain combination. I love the variety, but most of all, I love the flexibility my schedule provides me. That enables me to travel, which is what I really love to do. 

    Are you doing what you love? 

        Leta