My favorite weather season is Spring and then Summer. As I’ve aged I’ve grown fond of Fall and Winter weather is my least favorite weather. Winter is death and dark and cold.
Spring is renewal when everything is new again! Temperatures are cool and clear. I love spring sweater weather and warmer days with cooler evenings.
Easter happens during the Spring season and that also makes it so special to me. I enjoy seeing trees budding and flowers beginning to bloom. It’s the season and the weather for hope and new beginnings.
I also favor summer beach weather with longer days of daylight and warm temperatures. Summer is fun and so freeing!
Fall harvest is an interesting time too and still peppered with warm days and cool nights.
So if I had to rate the weather and the seasons it would probably be 1) Spring 2) Summer 3) Fall and 4) Winter. But truth to be told it’s a great day to be alive regardless of the weather.
Through the years I’ve had many influential teachers. One that stands out was my sixth grade American History teacher. His name was Mr. Rourke and the mantra from our school at the time was “If you think you can, you can!”
He made learning history interesting and that year our class went on a one week trip to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. We all enjoyed an early morning walk/run before breakfast. We had unlimited passes to all the little shops in Williamsburg where they showed us how to make candles and wood working and more. It was so interesting to me to see how people lived back in the early days of Colonial times.
Years later it would have to be my French teacher Mrs Beers. We learned to speak French the entire time in class. She loved the language and all things associated with France. I had her for three years and learned to love speaking French.
Another big influence in teaching me was my Real Estate teacher Bill Byrnes. He made learning real estate law so interesting. He was a natural born teacher. When it was time to take my exam I received a grade of 98% and was thrilled to have done so well.
A good teacher makes all the difference in how we learn and I have been blessed with having more than one influential teacher in my lifetime.
Wow! You did it! Your maternal grandmother lived to be 101 and you are almost there.
You survived your childhood home fraught with abuse, and survived relationships meant to be lessons learned.
You survived raising twins and a daughter. You survived career jobs that you loved and excelled in doing.
So much joy came from your many precious pooches and from maintaining homes and gardens.
You have been loved deeply and adored by many. If there was a photo attached to being a “strong woman” it would include you.
From farm girl to beach gal you enjoyed so much of life’s natural beauties. Much of your writings have already survived the test of time.
Every time it appeared to be a set back you actually went full force upward and forward.
You are good, you are kind and you are loving.
The greatest lesson learned at age 23 has been your life mantra, “life is for the living, live it!” And to that end you did, you have and continue to do so …
Fear not for you have lived well and honored our loving God.
I think it goes without saying that we all need 1) clean air to breathe 2) fresh water to drink and 3) healthy foods to eat. However, beyond that …
When I think of “objects” I think of things and not people. If it was people it would definitely be my husband Brian and then our precious Bichons Buddy and Bailey.
However in “objects” it was have to be my books and journals, writings by me and by other authors. I love books! I can’t imagine a life without a collection of books.
And next would be my iPhone that I am currently writing this blog prompt from and also serves as my phone and camera. I use it every single day and can’t imagine living without it.
Last and certainly not least is my convertible Audi that I can’t wait for Spring and Summer to enjoy top down driving again. It’s my third convertible car and I just love driving them so much! Next month we will take it for a long road trip to Daytona Beach. Daytona is where we will enjoy driving it directly on the beach.
My three chosen objects are things I really enjoy. They make living life just a bit sweeter.
I remember when I worked with someone who said that love was the most overused word in the English language. And I was like absolutely not, you can’t say it enough and you can’t act on it enough! LOVE LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, just saying it makes me so happy!
For me I love so many things and so many people, I love my husband more than anyone else and I love my friends and my precious pooches. I love our home, family and friends. I could go on and on about all the many things that I love.
But on a deeper level, what is love? An emotion, a feeling, an act, a way of life? How do you define love? Is it simplistic or is it complicated? I’m guessing it can be many things to many people.
For me it feels good to love and to be loved. My husband has been my greatest “love” in both giving me love and in receiving my love. For days I thought about writing this blog. What does love mean? Is it caring, it is sharing is it _____?
When I asked my husband Brian, “What does love mean to you?” In a very sober and rapid response he said, “One word, Bernadette.” Wow! I didn’t see that one coming but what a great response. At least for me!
We are retired; we raised three children together. We had career jobs, a few houses, many cars, many travels and five precious pups. A lifetime of love built on a solid commitment of caring, devotion and love. I was initially afraid to get married because I had failed relationships and never wanted to be divorced.
My husband has loved me more and longer than anyone else. I know how lucky I am and how lucky we are as we thrived and survived through many life altering events. It has not always been easy, and it has not always been without our share of friction. One of the best parts of this stage of our lives is that we are so happy together and at peace, we love.
When we go to sleep at night, my husband holds me until I fall asleep, He holds me every night. We laugh because he says it hurts his arm but don’t worry, I am here to hold you until you fall asleep. I don’t believe my love, our love, is supposed to look like your love and that is the beauty of love.
Many times, my husband has said that he would die for me, my response is always the same in, but I want you to live for me!
“I don’t know about you, but I was put here to live and love so what if I don’t do it like everyone else does.” From the song Like It’s A Bad Thing by Gary Allan
MY WISH is that we as a community and as a society would focus more on love and all that we love instead of hatred and discourse. I want love for all the friends I have for all the family I have and for everyone. Love more and your life is sure to be so much happier, we get what we focus on, we receive what we put our energy into.
“Where there is love there is life.” Mahatma Gandhi
Bernadette A. Sahm 