on love with a capital L

We interrupt this December Challenge to say CONGRATULATIONS to two very special people who are celebrating, today, FIFTY years of LOVE, companionship, partnership, tolerance, friendship, adventures, misadventures, connection, chicken soup, unconditionality, protection, understanding, splitting romantic and adventure movie nights, date nights, pre-cooked lobster valentines, late nights dancing, travel (with kids, which counts for like twenty), jewellery hidden in a cookie box, kindness, sincerity, silent dinners that are NOT awkward, apologies, patience, impatience, connection, humour



...you get the picture

"love is the fabric of all creation. It's beginning and the end. Love defines existence. You are love. I am love. Love is all there is"

CONGRATULATIONS!

Day 13, the beauty of different, what makes you YOU?

I've always thought that my eyes were a bit too small and my nose a tad too big, 

but you know what they say, careful what you wish for 

also, people tend to think I'm a little odd, go figure, but I always kind of liked it. 

Day 12: imagine you have 5 minutes to rescue what you can from 2012.... go!

The Family Trip to Miami, the first  time ever we all travelled together * Love my work related trips * being overwhelmed by Bangladesh * enjoying the tastes of Ethiopia, and generally being given the chance to share the lives of others and while remembering how fortunate we are * Mario’s new school * Summer holidays back home (Spain and Italy) with the family, always lovely * I’ll take the little chopito with me, even if he didn’t last long * Visit to san Francisco and going back to Monterey after soo many years * the feeling of having an established business and being able to work in a team as opposed to alone after a looooong time * girlie lunches * The kids beginning to read (yei) *  the kids beginning to  have more in depth conversation * 20 days in timor, it felt like time had stopped and I got to live by the sea, I’ve always wanted to * home baked bread and home made yogurt * The many family visits and the chance to share my life with them * the frumpy man that sleeps in my bed and makes it all happen * New friends and seeing old friends * Yoga * capoeira *  The green juice detox, a new addiction,  for once a healthy one * an increased and increasing sense of normalcy *  being spared by sandy * health for my family and no major issues in the family. No news is good news * The house!

Day 11, what's your super power

recently I saw a t-shirt I loved. It read: "I make milk, what's your superpower?"

so here's to all the mommies in the world, cause making milk  (never mind the actual human being that goes with it) is a pretty damn awesome superpower.

Now if only we could make some  bread and jam to go with it we'd have breakfast sorted. 

DAY 10, on friends and family

I’ve been away from home for nearly 16 years now. And when I say “away” I don’t mean that I moved out. I was in another country, and for the most part in another continent.

But still, after all this time, and although for the most part we all go about our every day business, whenever I’ve needed it my family has been there for me. Like a quiet net that has been there and out of sight all along, it closed in and wrapped around me. It cradled me just enough so that I was warm, but still had enough room to breath.  Their generosity holding up the bit that  wasn’t strong enough to bear the weight. Be it because I was hurt or because I had a dream, they rallied around me, be it with their time, their money or just the quiet vigil of those who know there's  a journey  you have to do alone, but will stay up the night with you anyways.

They say friends are the family that we choose, and it is true that I did not choose my family. But I could not ask for better friends. 

Day 9: these are a few of my favourite things...

flowers

eggs

alone time

music

how weird or creative they can b

plants

sweets

celebrations

coffee

home made food

fresh food

the sea and the grass

happy colours

Day 7: what matters, and November family self portrait

Brooklyn

as the old chinese saying states "time cures all except poverty and tooth ache" except it left out why, and that is  love. As long as you've got health and love the rest can be managed. This here (standing in for the rest of the family/friends not pictured) is  what matters. The rest is stocking fillers.

how to nurture it?
You need  to make time for the people you love, even those that live with you and whose presence is so essential to your life that you almost take it for granted. Make time to  listen, put the iphone/book/nook down and listen some more. No matter how boring, if it's important to them you need to listen. Do things other people want to do, even if you really don't. Remember to call, to write, to ask how they are doing. Say happy birthday, how was your trip, how are you doing?  Post photos on facebook, send cards, do something to share who you are, what's going on, what your life is about.

something like that

***

The family self portrait  project started in January 2011.

I take one portrait of the whole family, myself included, once a month.  Wherever we are, whatever we are doing.

Sometimes it's planned. Mostly, it's not.

I started doing this mainly because I realised that I was never in any of the family photos. 

It was meant to last  for the duration of 2011, but we are  enjoying it so much that it has carried on into 2012. Don't know when or where it will end. 

Every family should do this. Won't you give it a try and share with us?

To see previous months click on the links below:

2012
October - Frankenstorm Sandy
September - Coney Island

August - Park Slope

July 2012 - Matherland

June 2012 - hope

April 2012 - castaways

March 2012 - hell is the other

February 2012 - lazy mornings in bed

January 2012 - mimes

2011

December 2011- Occupy your life

November- BAM!

October

September

August - waiting for Irene, yeah, the hurricane

July

June

April

March

February

January