What we all crave.

When I was out walking Bella the other morning I was thinking about what makes relationships last? The good ones. The happy ones. Expensive gifts don't make someone feel "special" unless you can really express it in your eyes, words and touch. By listening and responding, laughing and touching. Thoughtful little gifts often mean more because they tell the receiver I was thinking of you. I was thinking of you and want to express appreciation that your in my life.
Last week my daughters were over for dinner on different nights and I was thinking how proud they each make me. They are both beautiful, well-spoken, can tell a great story, have such a beautiful countenances that everyone who meets them likes them. They are also generous and caring. And yet I am so busy with my "momness" that that I neglect to communicate what I am really feeling. Instead of telling them "It was so great to see you tonight!" the last thing they here as they walk out the door is "Watch your step going down the stairs!"
They sometimes remind me how frustrating it is to be treated like a four year old. I cringe when I hear it because it's true. I don't mean to do it but I do. I want desperately to change that. The other night, I watched the movie "When Did You Last See Your Father?" Colin Firth played the part of a son who's father never really let him see how proud he really was of him and it caused the son great anguish and sadness in his life. It was a very sad movie but it touched me in a way that caused me a great deal of self refelction on my own parenting. I want my daughters to see that I actually see them as wonderful and capable adults and that I am very proud of them. I also impressed with what wonderful people they each are. I think they are both beyond fantastic! Of course they are human and they make mistakes and make them again just like I did when I was their age. You'd think that by the time I was 25 or 30 that I'd learned a thing or two, but no it was around that time that I'd only started to really learn life lessons in earnest. The biggest mistakes I've made in my life usually provided much needed wisdom I needed for the next step on my journey. And sometimes that next step or curve in the road led to something wonderful. So why do I expect that they should be any different? They are living their life walking in their own path just as I did and am doing mine.
My mother passed away just a week before I was 21. She was not the kind of overprotective mother I turned out to be because her mother, my grandmother was. (maybe it skips generations?) When my mom walked in the door from visiting across town my grandmother would call just to make sure she made it home OK. IT DROVE MY MOTHER CRAZY! If my mother had been around when I was a new mother I am quite sure she wouldn't have been worrying about my mothering skills with babies. But I am pretty certain that when I was worried about letting them ride their bikes up to the local Quik Stop three blocks away she would have said, "Let them go for heaven sake!"
Watching your kids bikes go around that corner where you can't see them. Not for the faint of heart. I did it, and not always with the greatest of ease or grace. If I could go back in time I would have said, "Have a great ride!" I want to learn to tell them to "Have a great ride on this journey of life" and that I can express to them that I believe them to be very capable adults that I am very pleased to know.

Required Reading for the Fashionista

I just finished reading: Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas. I was fascinated from page one and devored every word. You'll read about the humble beginnings of Louis Vuitton to what luxury is today and how has it evolved over the decades. Meticulously written and researched, Thomas' weaves the history of luxury into a golden spun yarn, a delicious and lively read.