I love surprises. I love them, large and small! To me, it’s what keeps life so interesting. It could be anything, really. It can be a green new shoot on my Dieffenbachia, a new flower on my spider plant, or our way too fat Chihuahua jumping up on the couch without any assistance. It can be finally finding the mate to my favorite purple socks. I love it when I’m thinking of my son and the phone rings…and yes! It’s him!!! I love it when Mark feeds the fish and I don’t have to! I love getting cards from my friends because they’ve remembered my birthday. I love it when someone buys me a beer!   I love it when the ball goes into the pocket, like I knew what I was doing, when we’re downstairs playing pool.  I love the sound of a slot machine when I win quarters!!!  I love talking to my daughter every single day. It’s like a warm hug.

I love it when I turn on the radio and they’re playing an Eagles song. I love Sunday mornings and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. I love it when people are nice and I love being one of those people. I love pictures drawn by my grandkids. I am always surprised when I actually get the remotes to do what I wanted them to do, without asking Mark. I love it when I have a whole day with nothing on the calendar. I love the surprise of a friend asking me to join her for lunch. I just love that!!!

I love the feel of my old, worn out fuzzy blue robe, right out of the dryer. I love sharing my birthday with my mom and the surprise of it all….that being another year older feels like a blessing to me. I don’t mind getting older…one glorious day at a time. And it’s a good thing, too, because it’s going to happen, whether I mind it or whether I don’t.  I love picking up my guitar and remembering the chords to my favorite old songs. And I’m always surprised by just how good it feels to play it again.  I love grabbing a book and getting cozy on the couch. I love to hear the sound of the fireplace as the flames come to life. I’m always surprised and amazed by the birth of each new day and how the sky turns the colors of fire across the horizon. The sky is so big here…it’s like I have a ringside seat to the beauty of it all. 

I’m surprised when our bird says a new word…that’s always good for a laugh or two. I love playing with stained glass and am always surprised by just how beautiful it is when it hangs, polished to diamonds, dancing in the sun. I love Christmas time, the songs, the sounds, the tastes of it. I love the hope that lives in it. I love the kindness of strangers as they wish everyone a Merry Christmas as they walk out of a store. I love it that we get to share Christmas with Brittany, Brayden, Paula and Kurt.

I love every single one of our neighbors. We are a family here. We help one another, we care about one another. We love everyone’s kids and dogs.  We celebrate our collective successes. It’s a magical place, here in our little corner of the world. I never want to leave.  Yes, I love surprises…an ever growing list of things that I love and that fill my heart.