March 25, 2011

  • I Am Human.....


    TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

    As a human, I am subject to many failings, unfortunately.  Anger, jealousy, sloth, hurt feelings....and there used to even be lust.    Nowadays, that is just too much work if you think about it....LOL.  But, I am also capable of love and generosity on many levels.  After all, you can love a husband, a child,  a grandchild, a great-grandchild ()....a friend, a neighbor, your brothers and sisters....your parents, although mine are both dead now.  There are many different levels to love.

    We had friends from Germany that were really puzzled by our always saying *Love you* as part of our goodbyes to them when we spoke on the phone.  They finally said to us, *Why do you say that when you are not in love with someone?*  I had never realized that many Germans (according to our friends) never say *I love you* to anyone but either someone they really do love enough to marry or their spouse.  I asked the male friend, *Didn't your mother and father tell you they loved you?*  He laughed and said, *Oh, that's different.  Children need to hear they are loved.*  I just told him, *Everyone needs to know they are loved...by family AND friends.*

    There was much discussion on the subject for a while that night but it ended up being something that they, too, included in their conversations with family and friends back in Germany.  It was easy to end a phone conversation with a *Love you!* that was short and sweet and let the person on the other end know that you cared about them more than just in passing.  It tells them that they are important in your life.  You matter to them.  Two little words that carry a lot of meaning.
    It's second nature to me now because I have lost a couple people that I loved.  I am glad to know that they may not have heard from me for a while before they died but......the last words I said to them was *Love you*.....and I meant it.  I have a couple friends from high school that started using that after we had talked a couple times and it made me happy to hear it.  Life really IS too short and, when we lost one of the *girls* suddenly, that was the thing that made us all feel good.  We tell each other *Love you!* when we part or are saying goodbye on the phone.  Short.  Simple.  Easy.  Full of meaning.

    I say it to anyone I would miss if they were suddenly to disappear from my life.  That could be a lot of people at my age or I could suddenly disappear from YOURS.  The days of my life get shorter and shorter as I age.  Time just flies by.  So, I try to live each day well.  I do at least one thing that makes ME happy and one thing that makes someone else happy, too.  I don't have a bucket list because I doubt I could find 25 things I wanted to do before I died.  (Who decided on the number 25 anyway?).  I figure I'll make one up after the Beast kicks the bucket because that will tell me the time is getting close for me.

    So, I say to you once again...Love you!  and I mean it.  I wish you much happiness, good health and great weather.  Talk to you again tomorrow.