Romeo and Juliet

Today, my middle child, Andrew, told me he would be reading Romeo and Juliet in his freshman honor's English class. We talked about how the play is one of the most quoted of Shakespeare's plays. Because his older sister had the same class with the same teacher two years ago, he is pretty familiar with the curriculum.

Andrew and I laughed when we talked about how he and his siblings took me to Gnomeo and Juliet on my birthday. After the movie was over, they looked at me and said "Why did you want to see this? It was awful!" My daughter and I have watched the 1968 and 1996 versions of Romeo and Juliet multiple times, and as tragic as the story, how can you not get light-headed thinking of the love they shared?

Yes, references to Romeo and Juliet are so abound in popular culture, and I would like to make a CD with all the songs referring to the star-crossed lovers. Quite a few songs are already on my IPod with references to the tragic lovers.

Of course, like many romantics, my favorite scene in the play is Capulet's Orchard, but for now, I can only reflect on my one of my favorite quotes:

Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

Sigh. How can that not make your heart pitter-patter?

My Forever Friend

Little Teddy has been with me forever. I inherited him from my uncle when I was maybe five years old. He is about eight inches tall and has experienced many grand adventures. Little Teddy is certainly my velveteen rabbit.

Once in our youth, Little Teddy and I went swimming in the ocean. I lost him, and my sister found him washed up on the shore. Tragedy struck when I was much older, and Little Teddy was enjoying the companionship of my daughter. She left him on the floor and our new puppy, Carson, decided to have a playdate with Little Teddy. When the date was over, Little Teddy required major surgery with an ear and foot transplant. Of course, a few years later, my youngest son was sad that Little Teddy didn't have any eyes, and an online search for the perfect pair resulted in a new pair of brown eyes.

Yes, Little Teddy, you are my forever friend, flaws and all.

My Caterpillar Tree

When I was very young, my mom always took my sister and I to the library. For some reason, I have very few vivid memories from my childhood, but I do remember going to the library.

I remember the wood furniture and the card catalogs filled with the secret location of the books. I remember the musty smell of the room, and the stillness, and the quiet I love so much. I remember Charlotte's Web was high on the shelf, but my most vivid memory is the location of one book.

I would walk straight ahead and there was a covered bench. On the low book shelves I would search for my favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I remember the happy feeling when I found the book on the shelf, and I would huddle on the floor next to the bench mesmerized by the bright collages, and the way the caterpillar worked his way through the book.

When my children were born, I wrote to Eric Carle and shared with him my story. He was kind enough to sign the books I sent to him for my children, and sign my copy of the The Art of Eric Carle. He even drew me a caterpillar.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the library is a haven for me. When I die, I would love a tree planted for me outside a library, and I would hope caterpillars would build cocoons in the branches.

Lists to Contain My Dreams

I confess.

I am a closet list writer.

Friends, who know me well, know I absolutely despise making “to do lists.” Seems like such a waste of time, when I already know what needs to get done, so why should I write it down? For me, making a “to do list” does not help me organize my thoughts, it usually only muddles them. And if you know me, God knows I don’t need to muddle my thoughts any more than they already are!

However, back to my confession, I secretly love to make different types of lists. Some of my current lists include:

Songs to put on my IPod
Books to read
Blog Ideas
Movies to Watch
Countries to Visit Someday
Stories to Write
Things to tell (fill in a name)
Quotes to Remember
Things to Write in My Journal
Things to Learn to Do

Sometimes they are elaborate, and sometimes they are written on post it notes. Even in this electronic age, I still prefer to put pen to paper, all the while doodling on my lists. Many of the lists are only dreams for me, but putting them on paper makes them real.

Who needs a list to remind them what to do in a day? I need lists to contain my dreams.

Jane Eyre

“The human heart has hidden treasures,
In secret kept, in silence sealed;
The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures,
Whose charms were broken if revealed.”

-Charlotte Bronte

Let What You Love, Be What You Do

Although I am biased, I think my daughter is the most beautiful girl in the world, and today, I watched her transform into a young lady just shy of princess status. Today is her junior year Homecoming dance, and her younger brother is attending for his freshman year.

Although I love fashion and clothes, my daughter was never overly interested in investing time into her appearance. I have always been thankful her concerns and focus are in other areas besides her beauty, and sometimes I think it even adds more to her attractiveness.

People tell her she should model since she has the height, figure and features to go into modeling as a career, and she politely tells them she isn't interested. Sometimes I secretly hope she will change her mind, but I believe in "Let what you love, be what you do." It is the only way she will live a fulfilled life.

So Homecoming is the day where I get to help her style herself into a a head turner and purchase classic rhinestone jewelry I will add to my collection. She politely smiles her beautiful smile and says "Thanks, Mom. Love you."

Learning to Dive

Last night I went to the high school swim meet, and watched my daughter swim on the varsity team.

When she was younger, I felt it was important to let her explore all the extracurricular activities she expressed interest in. I believed, foolishly, because she was my daughter, she would share many of the same interests as I. I had visions of her drawing, and creating, and being incredibly artistic. Where I had come up short, I believed she would surpass me.

Little did I know, that is not what fate would bring me.

Instead, I have the gift of a daughter who is uniquely, well, herself.

Before her freshman year in high school, she decided she wanted to join the high school swim team. I remember looking at her in disbelief, and thinking how can this be, she doesn't even know how to dive in a pool?

All her life, she has been an athlete. Basketball, soccer, cross-country, and even the painful experience of hurdles in track. She has an incredible pain tolerance, and once when she was playing capture the flag with her cross-country team mates, injured her toe, enough where it was twisted and pointed to the sky. Not a tear left her eyes. Yes, she is a an athlete.

Swimming in the lake has always been part of her life, but I never expected her to want to swim competitively. So with the cards stacked against her, she met with the high school coach, and I remember grimacing as I watched her learning how to dive. She joined the swim team, concerned with only improving her time, and seeing herself as her only competition.

Last night, two years have passed since I watched her learn how to dive. As I sat in the same stands, I watched her gracefully dive into the pool. It was beautiful, but even more beautiful was her looking up at me in the stands after the race; and as our eyes connected, we both smiled.

My daughter and I don't share the same talents, what we share is stronger.