The Power of Aqua Velva

Sonya was sipping her French Vanilla coffee, trying to calm her nerves. She had made sure to come to the coffee shop extra early, she needed time to think before he walked in the door.

It had been 2 years since she had seen him, 2 years of her trying to forget him. Would he look the same? Was this even smart her meeting him again, after so long?  Her mind was in such turmoil after reading that book. The book that had been all about her! She knew it was him, he might have been using a pen name, but that didn’t fool her. Only he would have known all the details that he wrote. The ones that made her blush a deep cherry red and tingle all over!

She had used the contact information in the book to email him, and he didn’t seem surprised to hear from her. In fact he sounded pleased, she knew it was just what he was wanting. But he could get rid of his fantasies, she had a thing or two to tell him, and it was far from nice! Her Mom had warned her about him, but like a fool she hadn’t listened, she thought she knew it all, and she had let him work his charms on her.

Sonya drank more of her coffee as her hands began to shake. She took a deep breath in, the meeting would be fine. She would tell him exactly what she thought of the book and … and…

Ooh.. there he was…. his  thick, wavy brown hair, she remembered the feel of it on her fingers. She watched as he walked towards her table, his sea green eyes were pulling her in. “No, be strong”, she told herself!

He was closer, she could smell his aftershave, he was still wearing her favorite scent, Aqua Velva. She drew in a breath, as her legs started shaking.

“Hi Sonya, we meet again!”

“Hello Nick”, her voice was soft and it quavered.

“So what did you want to tell me?” he asked, as he gently caressed his hand against her neck, running it through her hair, and suddenly, she found herself at a loss for words.

Friday’s Super Short Stories!

The language of love can be spoken without uttering a single word. 

61 years of love, laughter and tears …. celebrating my parent’s legacy of love! 

Looking for the rainbows is a lot more pleasant than worrying about the storm clouds! 

One More Walk…

 

Sonya had awakened early to take a stroll through the sunflower field. It was always peaceful to wander among the tall flowers. She remembered when she was a little girl that she could easily get lost in the sunflowers behind their house. Every path looked the same. At first she would get scared but she would eventually find her way out and later on the sunflower field became her hideaway. A place where she could just sit still, breathing in the fresh air and clearing her mind. Many times she had run in here as a teen, crying over boys, and all the drama that girls could cause. Figuring out who her true friends were, and letting go of the fake ones.

She called it her Sunflower Sanctuary and this morning she knew she had to come out for one last walk. Waking up in her childhood home without her parents there, still felt strange and brought back so many memories. She missed them so much! It was so quiet now, every room echoed, the walls were bare, but oh, if only the walls could talk.

Sonya had walked through the house last night, letting her memories take her back to hearing the music  of Mitch Miller playing on their stereo. Her Dad would be tapping his feet and her Mom would be singing along, as she was filling the kitchen with the aroma of something sweet baking.

Her parents had been gone for over 6 months now and the house was being sold. She hadn’t met the buyer, she had let her realtor take care of all that. She would meet them later today. This morning was her time to say goodbye. It was time to let someone else create new memories in this house and to let them discover the secret joys of her Sunflower Sanctuary.

One last walk through through the field to say a final goodbye. She couldn’t help but think of her childhood friend Toby, as she strolled through the field. He was a significant memory of the time she had spent among the sunflowers. Times of thinking of him and times of being with him. Her cheeks warmed, her very first kiss had happened right here, with only the sunflowers as witnesses.

“Sonya?”

Was someone calling her name? She looked at the buzzing honey bee on the flower. “Sonya! Its really you!”

She squinted her eyes, at the figure coming towards her, with the sun shining right over top of him.

Goosebumps appeared on her arms. “Toby!”

Sonya ran, and they embraced once more, in their sunflower field.

 

Reunited

Celia woke up, and for a moment she had forgotten about the excitement from the night before, and then it all came back to her. She had a talking kitten!

“Wake up Muffin! Wake up! Today is the day!” Celia said as she rubbed Muffin. Muffin opened one eye looking at her, not feeling very happy about having been awakened.

“Must you be so cheery in the morning!” Muffin replied stretching  out her body and yawning.

“I just so excited, Tulag is going to meet us by the sandbox, right?”

“Yes, but do you have any plan figured out of just how you are going to help him find Myrtle?”

Celia pulled her knees up to her chin as she sat on her bed thinking. “Hmmm….not sure. I can’t cross the street by myself, so I can’t go very far. What do you suggest?”

“You are asking me? I am just a simple, innocent, cat, how am I supposed to be able to help you.”

“But you TALK!” said Celia.

“That doesn’t mean anything. Lots of animals talk. I have heard of a talking cow before and a gnu. They  got in to all kinds of trouble. I also heard of a talking chicken, and … well his story is pretty sad.”

Celia got serious for a moment, “What happened to the chicken?” she asked.

“We really should go meet Tulag, he probably is waiting for us.” replied Muffin, purposely changing the subject, he didn’t want to make Celia sad.

Celia looked at Muffin for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and said, “Well what are we waiting for, lets go!”

She picked Muffin up in her arms and ran down the steps and out the door before anyone saw her.

Running to the sandbox she made sure to keep an eye out for Tulag so she wouldn’t accidentally step on him again. No worries, he was sitting right at the edge of the sandbox.

“Good Morning! I am feeling happy today, looking forward to finding my Myrtle. So where are we going to go?”

“Lets go in the woods, Mommy and Daddy let me play in the woods, as long as I don’t go too far. Maybe Myrtle is hiding in there. Perhaps she got lost and can’t find her way out.”

Muffin and Tulag agreed that it seemed a good place to start, so they entered the woods in Celia’s backyard.

Walking through the woods it was full of noises of chipmunks and squirrels scampering around. Muffin wanted to give chase, but knew Celia wouldn’t want her catching them, so she behaved. Maybe she would sneak out tonight and have some fun while Celia was sleeping.

A Magpie was singing from high up in a tree and watching the little trio walk through the woods.

They came to a little stream and Celia said that was as far as she could go. Celia sat down on a rock, as they watched the water flow. “Hey I see a turtle in the middle of the stream! Is that Myrtle?”

Tulag’s heart started to race as he inched his way closer to the stream to see. Then he called out “Myrtle!” Myrtle! Is that you?”

Myrtle lifted her head, “Tulag! I didn’t think I would ever see you again! That day Patrick took me from the pet shop, I thought was our last day together.”

Myrtle splashed through the water to get to land as fast as she could, which was still pretty slow.

Finally she made it and Tulag gave her a little kiss. “I can’t believe it, I actually found you! I escaped from the pet shop a few days after you left and have been looking for you ever since!”

Celia was jumping up and down, not believing what she was hearing and seeing. Tulag has found his mate. Her heart was bursting, she wanted to share the news, but who would believe her. It was a secret that she would just have to keep to herself. She smiled, feeling pretty special. She didn’t know of anyone else that had a talking kitten and helped reunite 2 turtles who were in love. She picked up Muffin and hugged her tight against her.

“isn’t this the bestest day ever Muffin?” she exclaimed!

“Well if you let me breathe, it just may be!” Muffin grunted.

Celia laughed and put her down on the ground. “We better get back Muffin, Mommy will soon be calling me for breakfast.  Are you coming Tulag and Myrtle?”

Tulag and Myrtle looked at Celia, with her eyes brimming with excitement. “Sorry dear, but we got to head back to my owner Patrick’s house. He is probably going crazy looking for me.” said Myrtle. “I am sure he will be surprised to see Tulag!”

“Will he let us stay together?” asked Tulag

“Oh yes, not a problem, he is a nice guy and he knows all about love. He found his girl and they are very happy together. On our way back to his place I will fill you in on all the craziness that has happened since leaving the Pet Shop. You will never believe everything I witnessed from living with Patrick. It was really cool, I helped him catch this girl named Tanya and…”

Celia and Muffin watched as the two turtles walked off talking, unaware of anything else around them.

“So sweet, I do hope they come visit me again,”  said Celia.

“Yeah, yeah… but can we get home, I am hungry for some tuna!” and the two of them ran through the woods towards home.

 

 

Magic at the Beach

Morning had come. Bailey felt the coolness of the water splashing up on her. It felt good to walk, she was a little stiff after having fallen asleep on the beach.

Memories of the past night began replaying in her mind once more.  The memories that had made her jump on her horse, not even bothering to change her clothes, and ride like the wind to the beach. The beach was her happy place, where she could find peace.

Bailey’s heart wasn’t beating so erratic anymore and she was able to breathe. Last night as she rode Starlight, she felt like she was gasping for air. How could it have happened? One minute she was having a fine evening dining at a upscale restaurant and laughing with her friends. The next minute she was driving home as fast as she could, to get Starlight and gallop away!

It had been her best friend’s rehearsal dinner for her wedding. Bailey was Laura’s Maid of Honor. They had grown up together and dreamed about the day they each would find their special someone and live happily ever after! Laura had found her special someone first and that was fine with Bailey, she couldn’t be more ecstatic for her friend.

They had been counting down the days to the wedding together. Bailey had planned special fun things for them to do together as the days got closer and they were having a blast. All was going so well. Bailey was loving the crab cakes and lobster, and then … the unexpected guest had arrived!

Bailey gasped as the door to their private room opened and he stood there looking for her. She grabbed Laura’s arm beside her and said, “you didn’t!”

“Bailey, let me explain, you refused to see him, he only wants to…”

Bailey didn’t wait to hear anymore, she couldn’t! How could Laura have done this! She jumped out of her seat and ran right past him, ignoring his yells.

She cranked up the radio in her car, letting the music match the screaming in her heart. Jeremy’s face was vivid in her head, his look of disappointment as she ran right past him. She had arrived home, ran to the barn and jumped on Starlight. Starlight knew where to go, they had galloped to the beach many times.

At the beach she continued to ride Starlight, though at a slower pace, breathing in the salt air and trying to exhale her pain and frustration. Finally after awhile she grew sleepy and laid down on the sand, with Starlight standing guard.

Now as she walked questions were coming to her mind again. How could he be so bold as to show up? Didn’t he know she was done, that she didn’t want to talk to him again, she didn’t want to hear his explanation! Did he really think that any explanation would soothe her hurting heart. Oh how she had loved him!

Memories of them together were coming back. The memories she had tried so hard to suppress, that she thought she had managed to get rid of!

Who was that, was someone else on the beach at this early hour? Bailey strained to see ahead of her at the figure that appeared to be walking her way. They got closer and her heart started doing flip flops, it was him! He had come after her!

She stood still as Jeremy continued walking closer to her. She wanted to mount Starlight again and run, but yet felt frozen in place as she watched him.

He was almost up to her now and his eyes were silently pleading for her not to run. He stood right in front of her and he reached out and touched her hand.

“Please Bailey, please let me explain….”

The warmth of his hand sent sparks through her that she couldn’t deny. She looked in his eyes and saw a tear rolling down his cheek.

She nodded, for she couldn’t speak and they started to walk through the water, together.

 

 

Friday’s Super Short Stories!

Will you fan the flames of love that warm the heart …. or the flames of hatred that can destroy a forest?

Seeing with eyes of compassion can change your perspective! 

Fan the flames of laughter… share some humor with your own super short story, in the comments below! 

Tuesday’s Thoughts!

Happy June! I hope your first week of June brings some happiness amidst a world gone crazy right now! I know that it can be so easy to fear what may be coming next, but I heard a great quote on the radio yesterday. The person said, ” We have to learn to let go of what we can’t control so that we can grab hold of the things we can control!”

For a few moments as you read the following quotes I hope that you can let go of some of the fear and anxiety that the world can bring right now. The sickening feeling that comes when you read and see the news! I hope they can bring some smiles to your heart!

 

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Mr.Rogers’s life was love in action. He didn’t feel the need to pose for a picture in front of a church holding a Bible, he lived the Bible!

 

Please… Tell me When…

picture from Pinterest by Dianne Dengel, all other pictures from Pinterest too

 

Children get it, they don’t see looking different as being  a bad thing, all they see is love! 

   

Animals get it! 

When will the adults learn? 

 

Forever and Always!

My “baby” is a Senior, graduation day would have been this coming Friday, but ….  like graduations across the US, COVID-19 has prevented them from happening. COVID can’t keep this Mom from being sentimental though. So if you need a break from the pandemic craziness and want to take a walk on the sentimental side, enjoy this short video clip of a book that I read to my children countless times.

The memory of this book  came to me as I was thinking  of him graduating and remembering when I took him for Kindergarten registration. I felt so proud as he sat politely and answered the questions and showed what numbers and colors he knew. Then we got up and said goodbye and started walking out of the room when he turned around and looked at the 2 teachers at the registration table and said, “Just so you know… I am NOT going to kindergarten, I am staying home. Turned around and started walking away as I now was left with a touch of redness in my face. Oh how the years have have flown, he did go to kindergarten and has excelled in school and I couldn’t be more proud!

 

 

The Hidden Beauty

Thanks for letting me use this picture Jason. For more great pictures from Jason, visit his blog http://jasonfrels.com/2020/05/09/some-hiking-and-wildflowers/

 

Jason has shown different shots of this dead tree on his blog and each time I see it, there is something about the tree that draws me in. He displays a lot of beautiful photos on his blog of flowers and lakes, and stars in the sky, but this dead tree stands out to me. Why? I figured it out today.

As I was sitting and reflecting on all the wonderful moments with my children over the years, there were moments that kept coming back to me. Yes, there were the moments when they were little and threw their little arms around me neck and squeezed me so tight while kissing my cheek, making my heart burst. The moments they brought me their little drawings or flowers that they picked. How many times did I put dandelions in a little cup of water?

The moments that they snuggled close to me while reading them a bedtime story and we kept blowing kisses as I would walk out of the door. I found out many years later that they kept blowing me kisses even when the door was closed, praying that I would feel them.

All those moments and more, I will forever cherish, for they warm my heart. They make me feel so rich in getting to experience the blessing of Motherhood, but …..

There are other moments as well. The moments that our tear stained cheeks were pressed against each other, and my heart was breaking, because I couldn’t stop the pain. I could only hold them. These moments are forever pressed into my heart, and they really are some of the most precious moments too. For in the rawness their is beauty. There is beauty in being real!

I never want my family and friends to feel like they have to pretend that all is fine and dandy. That everything is blooming and beautiful! I want them to be real. For their is beauty in knowing they trust me with their pain, and their “ugly” moments of life.

The bond is made ever so stronger when you can lean on someone for strength, pour out your heart and know they still accept you. When all masks all dropped and there is no cover up to hide the blemishes.

So perhaps this is why I am so drawn to that dead tree, because to me it signifies the raw, moments in my life. The moments that outwardly have not appeared to be very beautiful, but yet in those moments I have found a very special beauty. The beauty of friendship and love that withstands the storms of life, and keeps standing, just like this tree!