Dear Bridget,
Thank you for you. For feeling the effects of that long flight of stairs with me. For hugs. For being light about death because it has touched you so often. For sharing my bitching. For laughing with me. For caring.
#yearoflove
To my Checkout Lady at Safeway tonight:
I hope you didn’t find it odd for me to tell you so, but I’m so proud of you for going back to school a little later in life to get you Associate’s degree. And proud of you for finally gaining your US citizenship after 16 years. All while working full-time and raising a family. Way to go, woman! I hope you’ll take my advice about your resume and those pesky keywords, and so glad that you’re taking the next step to go to the Workforce Services folks, because yes, they can help, and what’s more, they want to. Wishing you all the good things this world has to offer.
Today’s quote: “Because this is the beauty of strangers: we’re all just doing our best to help each other out, motivated not by karma, but by a natural instinct to help the greater whole.” — Sloane Crosley
#yearoflove
Dear Sunni,
Thank you for remembering my daughter’s name, after our one conversation and meeting seven months ago. I was impressed that you cared enough to do so. It’s a quality seldom found in the working world today. Thank you for the feeling of kinship, your intelligence, for speaking your mind, and even for throwing the occasional expletive into the mix. It’s always a pleasure to meet a real person. Let’s get a beer together next time.
Reston, Virginia.
#yearoflove
Dear Nanci,
Today, I looked down and what did I see at my feet but two dimes, side by side. And of course, I thought of you, and how you always find dimes in odd, random places, and take it as a sign that your Mother is with you, even from as far distant a place as heaven. Know that I am with you too, even from a less far distance as 90 miles. Thank you for seeing me as I truly am, despite the odd, cunning circumstances that brought us together. You once murmured, sitting in a chair in my living room, that it was as if we’d grown up in bedrooms just down the hall from one another. Sisters in spirit – that’s what we are. I’m proud of you for the strength you’ve found over the last years, and of your faith and faithfulness. Always ready for that hug!
#yearoflove
Dear Jen,
Even though we’ve worked together for almost eight years, we’ve only met four times, and still you feel like my partner in the next cube – just 1,084 miles away. I love that we envy each other’s travels. I love that we send each other emails with no subject line when we want to complain about something. I love that we have each other’s backs when one of us is drowning. And I especially love how eternally positive you are. You say you’re really not always like that, but I think that’s just who you are at your core, and that’s beautiful. I’m grateful that we had some time together this trip. Thank you for being you.
Today’s quote: “Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” — Anais Nin
#yearoflove
Dear Susanna,
Ah, my sister-from-another-mister. I got to spend less than five minutes with you today, and your very presence is like a balm to my spirit. You make me feel maternal and cared for at the same time. It seems we can each move the other to tears with a breath of empathy, one we seem to share only with one another, no matter how many other people we talk to. Thank you for entering my life four years ago, for our inexplicable and uncanny personal parallels, and for understanding me without words. I hope next time that we can find more than five minutes.
“There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.” — Unknown
#yearoflove
Dear Pam,
Thank you for being there for me, always, in all ways, and especially last night as an ironing expert. Having not picked up such a device in at least two decades, it was a relief and a delight to know that when I was baffled by both the iron and the ironing board, I could reach out to you for coaching and you wouldn’t think I was a blithering idiot. I’m always amazed at our relationship… having known each other for years, and having only met once, I am blessed to have you in my life as a friend, confidante, shoulder, advisor, and partner in future adventures. You’ll always be my virtual sister. xo
#yearoflove
Dear Tiny 9-month Old Dude:
Thank you for seeing me as the kindred spirit I was, because we were both sitting on the airport floor by the windows today. If you hadn’t crawled over to me, I probably would have crawled over to you. You took and shook my hand just like a wee politician and our shared giggles at absolutely nothing were the big shining bright spot in an otherwise very tough day. Bless you, and I hope you have a beautiful life.
#yearoflove
Dear Mary,
You always seem stressed and harassed at your job at the pharmacy, and I wish you didn’t. However, it makes me feel wonderfully cared for when you take that little extra step, like researching when a late order is coming in for me, or telling me to have a safe trip. It’s as if you come out of work headspace just for a moment, and that lovely human being I know you are shines through. It brightens my day. Thank you!
#yearoflove
Dear MKL,
Thank you for all your love and support and for surviving the holiday season with me. It’s always more than a joy to see you, and I feel like a piece of myself is missing when we’re not together. You are my car guy, my intrepid honey-doer, my partner, and my heart. I love sharing drives, snuggles, germs, laughter, martinis, pool, and adventures with you. We will get this whole house situation figured out, in one state or another, and live in our House of Dreams before we know it. You make me feel loved, beautiful, respected, valued, appreciated, treasured, and safe, and I hope I make you feel the same. I’ll live every day to make sure that you do.
Today’s quote: “When looking for a life partner, my advice to women is date all of them: the bad boys, the cool boys, the commitment-phobic boys, the crazy boys. But do not marry them. The things that make the bad boys sexy do not make them good husbands. When it comes time to settle down, find someone who wants an equal partner. Someone who thinks women should be smart, opinionated and ambitious. Someone who values fairness and expects or, even better, wants to do his share in the home. These men exist and, trust me, over time, nothing is sexier.” — Sheryl Sandberg
#yearoflove
