love

Love,

What's love got to do with it?

Probably,
Everything.

Its merely 4 letters and to some its beauty can change the world.
To others its as bitter as the horseradish root.

Funny how freely some can throw around while others can barely say the word out loud.

Love.
Its a funny thing.
An emotion that we are not necessarily born with. Yet acquire as young as the first kiss, first hug, first taste of something amazing and the site of a sunset across the vast ocean.

I have been told that 'I love to love'.

Indeed I do.

I love so deeply,
I love so purely.
So profoundly.

I love to love.

It took me many years to see what the word truly means. To evolve into the being I am today.
To open my arms to the possibilities and grab at it even if I am afraid.

I love to love.

I wake every morning looking forward to the possibility of new beginnings.
To the hope that the new day will bring me much happiness, great moments and tangible touches.

I desire for each new day to bring greater awareness and understanding to my soul.
I long for new tastes, sounds, friendships and sights that will make my green eyes pop with delight.

I believe you must love deeply to ever receive.

For some will go a lifetime and never open the gifts.

I wonder if the beginning to my openness for love began with the birth of Nathaniel?


I always thought I loved and felt the love.

But to spend your days with a soul that loves so pure, so deep, raw and unbridled is a gift beyond measure.

To have Nathaniel look at me with my hair up in furry, my face puffy from life and my clothes tattered with paint...
"I love you mommy, You are beautiful"....

I have an amazing new friend.
She has taught me more in this year than I have learned in a decade. A deep thinker, she is a soul that radiates beauty and goodness.

She has gifted me the knowledge that in order to receive,
You must put it out there,
The universe must know.
The days must hear you.

You need a new job?
Tell the strangers.
You need a bit of advise?
Admit you were wrong?

Need love to surround you,
Embrace it all.
Open your arms wide to the possibilities.

So that is what I decided to do,
-I let it all go,
the yucky
the ugly
the I can't forgive...

And I asked the universe for love.

Today like many days I feel like I am Joseph with my Technicolor dream coat.
I am wearing the coat of love, acceptance and hopefully solid, sweet, genuine kindness.

I have a grin as wide as the Cheshire cat and yes I have swallowed the mouse.
I am happy, I am loved, I am appreciated and I am me.

I am opening each new day full of gracious love and promise to never throw the word to the wind ever again.
I mean it, I feel it, I exude it and I love it.

Love.

Have  you loved enough today?

Your moments?
The time...
The aromas, Tastes and the tunes?

I have loved my family, friends and neighbors today so deeply.
I just pray that they heard me, even if my voice was silent, my actions must speak louder.

It is not about the letters.
It is about the feelings,

The acceptance,
The clarity and the heart so full it could burst.

So today I pledge,
If I say it I mean it,
If I write it I feel it,
If I want it I'll get it,
And once I get it I promise to share.

Lets just all accept the possibilities of such greatness, never take another single second for granted.
And if you get the chance to get it or give it,
I say go at it with gusto.

Love big,
Bold,
Brave and fierce.
Because if this is all that there is....
I want mine full of LOVE.

So today like every day..
LOVE,
Be in Love
Give the Love and enjoy every ounce of every delicious morsel.
If you are truly not receiving it in the manner in which you desire,
  Toss out the spoiled, and open the possibilities of new.
There is no room in the heart when the space is taken by anything but the purest form of the 4 letter word.
I just LOVE,
to Love.

Paying it forward....

Do you remember that Oprah show from years ago where she gave her entire audience $100.00 and said that 'they can do anything that they want with it' as long as they didn't keep it for themselves??

Some of the stories were generic.
Someone paid for every one's coffee at Starbucks,
Another paid every one's tolls for the day.
Another paid for a strangers groceries.

But it was those that took some time and truly gave it some thought.
Those people turned a mere $100.00 into life changing moments.

I remember with some fogy clarity the woman who heard that a man in her community had cancer. His family was struggling.
He lost his job,
Spiraling down as we all know life can be.

She decided to reach out to her community...
She asked that her $100.00 donation be matched...by anyone.
The snowball grew and grew out of her wildest dreams into a mammoth amount of great goodness.
Before she had the chance to blink,
the community rallied, the trumpets were aligned.
The marching band shined their shoes,
The town became one....

Their hospital bills were all paid.
Their food was made for the year.
The kindness healed their broken hearts and the family had a reason to smile once again.

I love those stories.

We must be reminded of such goodness.
Otherwise we are lost.
Wondering into days that are filled with selfish acts.
Ugly moment's that are consumed by only us.
Not caring whom we help, or hurt for that matter,
Just for the greater good go I...

No thanks.

I am a pay if forward kind of gal.

Not caught up in the manner in which I give,
I never think of the payback.
I just keep a deep faith that it will,
It has,


Again.
 Ten fold.

Just a regular day...
Groundhogs day as I like to call it.
Same tea, same cup. same soap, same , same.

Until I received the call.
Hello WGN calling.
Would you be interested in filming a Chicago's very own segment for our show?
Ummmm,

YES. I was too busy spinning from my state of shock to ask.
But how do you know ME?

The interview was over.
DVR set.
I am who I am is gonna take off to new heights.....

But how?


It all began with a handbag.

As many of you know, I have been making and selling handbags for many years.
HollyWear.

A neighborhood friend spotted a leopard HollyWear proudly adorned by a fellow antique shopper....
A lovely conversation and friendship ensued...

The woman wearing my bag was intrigued that her new found friend knew the designer.
LOL-that would be me!
My friend asked me if I was interested in meeting this woman as she was looking forward to meeting me.

How cute.
I love meeting new people.
New stories,
New connections.
But free time has not been on my side,
But I committed,
Coffee.

I arrived to find my friend already sitting among 2 new friends.
They were reminiscing about the antique shop and a lil bit of the good old days, when I arrived.

How charming it is to meet someone that thinks you're cool. Hah, little did they know...
I'm "Just a mom"....

Hollywear had its 15 minutes of fame.
Sold them everywhere.
Had a blast,
Ran its course.

They enjoyed my stories, from kids to purses, from having a special child to becoming an activist.

I made a few new friends that day.

I brought a few new bags along, the girls seemed to like the new collection.

But for some reason,

I have no idea why...

As they were picking out their individual favorites..
without skipping a beat,
I said "Is that one your favorite?
"Wear them proudly, this is my gift to you!"

Huh,
 "You're giving these to us?"
"Yes I am, enjoy ladies."

To which I had to leave,
A very kind note followed which reminded me of why I do what I do.

Because it felt right.
It felt good.

I received the actual gift,
The happiness and gratefulness was bestowed upon me, tenfold...

You see while I was being interviewed by Micah from the WGN news she mentioned that it was her cousin that wrote her the letter about ME. It was her cousin that I gave my handbag to.
It was her cousin...

The letter about this kind, amazing, giving woman.
That woman was ME.

It all happened because of the handbag.

Giving of myself because I wanted too.

Because only good bounces off good.

Because I have the choice to do what I want.
To live my life full of giving.

Without ever knowing the outcome you give for the soul purpose to create a smile.

To offer your hand if they have fallen,
To buy a sandwich because they are  hungry,
To merely give of a handbag because I could.

Yes, the universe is a mysterious place.

Its gravity will definitely pull you into directions of unfamiliar places.

But today I promise you one thing,

Give the world yourself.

All of its goodness,

Just step back and watch it all align.

Into magical, mystical moments that will remind you of your purpose.


To Love, To live,
To be happy and appreciated.

I am so blessed.
I am so loved.
I am so grateful.


I may not have it all,
Nor do I desire it.
I may make mistakes but I am humble enough to say sorry,
I may need a hand when I fall,
I may need an ear to listen,
I may need a friend to stand near,
I may need a smile from a stranger.

So what must I give to receive?
Myself.

Just give of yourself, what you can,
When you can.
Freely and expect nothing.

Then just step back and watch the glory of the magnificent petals bloom into the amazing and stunning life that is yours.

Enjoy,

Just give.