Because this website is my love letter to the world, it only seems right to begin by sharing some ideas about love.  I am a lover. Although, I have a rich vocabulary and I enjoy utilizing it, I tend to express my full spectrum of delight and connection as love. As in, I love champagne, rainbows, deer, honeybees, the smell of orange blossoms, my husband, my children, my family, friends, songs, dark chocolate, fresh bread, seasons, phases of the moon, blowing bubbles, books… To me talk is of great value and rarely cheap, but action is the true example of devoted feeling. Real love shows itself in firework-bright, obvious gestures, but more importantly in soft, quiet moments. Love needs to be shown: love letters, kisses, hugs, a cup of tea poured and served, a favorite treat right when you need it most, slowing your pace so your walking partner can comfortably stay in stride, saying yes to an adventure, staying in, watching sunsets, being completely silent, taking naps, sharing chocolate or wine or books, listening with your whole self, taking time, making time. These all count, as Depeche Mode would sing, “in large amounts.”

I recently saw this lovely quote, by Buddha: regarding the difference between “I like you” and “I love you”: When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily. One who understand this, understands life.

It is collected moments of care on a daily basis that create and perpetrate love. This past week, the most special act of love I have experienced with my husband has been his new, sweet gesture of leaving my toothbrush out for me with the perfect amount of toothpaste. It is like a good night or good morning kiss. That is part of the same almost 30 year tapestry we have created through countless examples of love in action, birthing two babies together and raising them, reveling in a field of tulips, cheering our UCLA Bruins on to victory in a Texas football stadium in heat that closely resembled hell, bike rides along the Pacific, wine tasting in the Willamette Valley, Ferris wheel rides on the Santa Monica Pier, afternoon naps on Sunday afternoons… Love is a verb. It is to cherish, to nurture, to share, to show our love to all of our dear ones, including ourselves. Like Wesley in Princess Bride to Buttercup, “as you wish.” Make wishes come true by remembering to cherish-it is the greatest vow of all: to be love in action. This call to action is not just about doing, it is about seeking and discerning the best ways to care for others, it is about creating empathy and engagement. One of the greatest ways to do this is to seek out and relish love in action in books, songs and movies: as we listen, watch and read: stories open our eyes and our hearts up, we find new ways or validation of old ways to show love.

Love on!