…More

In our early years my husband and I had a standard patter: "I love you." "I love you more." Perhaps then it was a playful kind of one-upmanship, but now it just makes me think of how relationships go. It seems a given in any relationship - each partner thinks they do more, work harder, give more, shoulder more of the load, physically and emotionally. It's very easy to analyze the faults and quirks of our partners. And so difficult to take on our own responsibilities and to recognize our personal shortcomings. We look at our partner and are sure that we are more loving, more helpful, more in tune, more understanding... The list goes on and on. A good practice for me is to think only of myself (in a good way). What can I do …

Approval

I’ve written about disapproval. Is approval the offset, then? Both the word and the concept are loaded and become interesting when in the hands of those we love. Approval: blessing: the formal act of approving; “he gave the project his blessing”; “his decision merited the approval of any sensible person” a feeling of liking something […]

Who You Are

Periodically I read this letter and wonder who needs to hear encouraging words. This is a long one…but take only what YOU need. Dear Granddaughter, I have been thinking about who you are.   You are smart; you are beautiful; you are kind and generous (btw, no one is 100% on this);  you are clever and […]

Happy Birthday, Dear Daughter

Dear Daughter, I remember your birth with great joy. I suppose those first steps in motherhood were halting, but I didn’t realize my own youth and ignorance. I lived in the euphoria of first love. Closing my eyes I can almost smell the softness of your baby skin. I can feel the wisps of hair […]

Welcome to My World of Letters

Many of you are looking for a specific letter for ideas to help you write to someone you love. You are welcome to take what you need from this site for your personal use. But here’s the deal. You can do it yourself.  Go to the top of the main blog page or click here […]

You are enough!

I am re-posting this as a form letter. Perhaps it will help you write your your child or grandchild. To what standard do you hold yourself?  Who is the paragon to whom you compare yourself? You do not disappoint! You are a person of soul and virtue.  You may have lived through things or done […]

Happy 21

This is a post brought forward from the past because so many of you are looking for those birthday letters. Dear Granddaughter, The Facebook posts and emails are flying. It is a celebration of you. Our son can’t believe he is the father of a 21-year-old. Your mother is remembering driving you home from the […]

The Grandparent Thing

“There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house/no mirrors in my Nana’s house/So the beauty that I saw in everything/the beauty in everything/was in her eyes/like the rising of the sun. I only knew love and I never knew hate.” Ysaye M. Barnwell What was my model for grandparenting? Interesting question! Thinking back to when […]

Arachnophobia – or not…

                        Spiders eat pests. Spiders feed on common indoor pests, such as roaches, earwigs, mosquitoes, flies and clothes moths. If left alone, spiders will consume most of the insects in your home, providing effective home pest control. Bayer Advanced I don’t like spiders. I […]

Ghosts of Memories

It’s hot where we live. 107 degrees at 5:00 p.m. And so we drove to the coast. I love the ocean here in Oregon. I love the rocks jutting up and the waves crashing against them. I love the cool breezes and leaving the bedroom door open at night and needing an extra blanket toward […]