MAGIC STORE

 

 A young boy ran up to me in the bookstore and asked,

“Where’s the magic wand?”

I stared at his smiling face…not knowing how to respond.

His mother explained they were in around Christmas

and how her son by himself found our Elf…

(The elf we bring out at Christmas and hide upon our shelf.)

Whoever found the elf…it didn’t matter…day or night

got use of the magic wand that controls our hanging candle lights.

She said since that day all he talks about is magic…

how he never spoke of it before…

and how today he asked her if she would take him back to the magic store.

I remembered this little boy…he made quite an impression before he was gone…

He ran through the store saying Abracadabra as he turned our candles off and on.

I told him that wand holds only Christmas magic…

which is why we bring it out only once a year…

but if it was magic he was looking for…there’s a lot of it…right here.

I told him we had magic he could learn all by himself…

then I handed him a used magic book I knew was on our shelf.

I told him an old and great magician once handed this book to me…

saying if I find a young magician who’s worthy I’m to give it to him…for free.

He took the book…held it to his chest…thanked me…and off he went…

I have to say that’s probably the best six dollars I have ever spent.

As I closed our magic bookstore that evening…

I thought of that young boy and his new old magic book..

hoping someday he’ll learn the real secret to magic…

is knowing where to look.

THANKFUL FOR GRATITUDE

 

Today I’m thankful for gratitude:

May it be a quality in us we always keep…

and may gratitude be the pillow

upon which we lay our head each night to sleep

SUSHI LOVE

 

Permit me now this slight confession…

for years about sushi I’ve had the wrong impression.

I thought all sushi was spicy…I’ve thought this since I was young…

and I have an aversion to any food that burns my lips, my mouth…and tongue

I’ve also thought sushi’s main ingredient was unhealthy uncooked fish…

I mean why would I want to pay to be served raw fish on a dish?

Finally I thought all sushi was made from seaweed…and I never felt the need

the longing or proclivity…to eat weeds pulled from the sea.

But my opinion recently changed…here I’ll try to be concise..

when Deborah talked me into eating sushi made from vegetables and rice. 

No spice, and no raw fish…near as I could tell…

and if they added any seaweed…they hid it very well.

I even tried Deborah’s sushi…(I didn’t want to be a wimp!)

when she offered me a simple helping of her tempura shrimp.

I said the shrimp was tasty…but some of it was hard to chew…

until Deborah told me that’s because I ate the tail too.

All in all my first encounter with sushi was a pleasant one.

You might say…for sushi I now have a yen…

which means to my astonishment…I will be back again.

But I do have one piece of advice for the sushi restaurant…

the breading on the shrimp tail…I think you should have withdrawn it…

I mean…if you don’t want me to eat it…

don’t put tempura on it.

THANKFUL FOR THE ABILITY TO ENJOY EACH MOMENT

 

Today I’m thankful for our ability to enjoy each moment of life…

everything we taste, touch hear or see….

and may we do our best to enjoy each moment…

before it fades into a memory.

ANOTHER RARE AND WONDERFUL DAY

 

Yesterday I awoke excited…filled with anticipation…knowing the day was going to be fun 

because, in Florida, I was going to witness a partial eclipse of the sun.

I was working in the bookstore during the peak of the eclipse…

and, since it was something I truly wanted to see,

I announced while holding up my viewing glasses:

“Anyone who wants to see the eclipse..It’s time…just follow me.”

Which led to this spontaneous moment…one I hope I never forget…

as I passed around my glasses…sharing the eclipse with people I’ve never met.

The eclipse, as predicted…was an awesome sight to see

It was everything I could have imagined…or expected it to be!

In the group was a teenager who as she spoke her voice kept getting higher…

Who told us how she was born during an eclipse…”One with a ring of fire!”

And I found myself thanking the Universe for somehow helping me find a way

to witness this rare and beautiful moment…one I don’t see every day.

And, yes, it was an unforgettable moment…one of the most exciting I’ve seen yet…

but the day was also filled smaller rare and beautiful moments…I hope I never forget.

Moments that at first may seem ordinary but are filled with affection and power…

Like when Ollie, the child next door handed me a grasshopper…

and when I handed his sister a flower.

Like meeting a man from Minnesota who inherited his mom’s nautical books…

He was quick to boast…How his mom once taught how to read a sextant 

on a tall ship that sailed up and down the coast.

Like the grandma who bought a book for her grandson…”He loves dragons!” I heard her say.

Or the very pregnant woman who bought a book for her baby…

Who smiled as she told me…”She’s due to arrive any day.”

As is sat back that evening eating a moon pie (by the way the best way to enjoy an eclipse!)

I thought about the day filled with people of all shapes and sizes…of families and tall ships.

And once again I found myself thanking the universe for helping me find a way

to enjoy so many rare and beautiful moments…all in the span of one day.

THANKFUL FOR THE TAPESTRY OF FRIENDS

 

Today I’m thankful for our friends

who share in all our happiness

who help absorb our strife

who, through their friendship, are woven into

the tapestry of our life.

Who have found a way to strengthen our heart

and complement our soul

Who, with every part of them they give to us,

help to make us whole.

PROM PHOTOS

 

Our granddaughter attended her high school Prom…

her photo was posted on-line 

which led me on a hunt through our old photos 

until I found one of me at mine.

As I gazed at these two photos

50 years apart…I quietly exclaimed

how parts of our world have changed dramatically

while others remain the same.

50 years ago social media and computers

were, to us, unknown 

today we have access to the world

and can take pictures on our phone.

 

But as technologies and social media

readjust and rearrange

friendship, love and high school proms

are things that never change.

Take a look at these two photos

I’m sure you’ll see it too…

how even 50 years apart

we both look good in blue.

You may be wondering to yourself 

which one of us wore it better…

no need to answer…God forbid!

Take another look…

it’s obvious who did!