happy 10 years and getting back to basics

Wow ~C., we finally made it, 10 years! Can you believe it? While it's been a long, bumpy, winding road, here we are today none the worse for wear lol
Both of us better people for knowing and loving each other, and for the most part, I really do think we have always balanced each other out.
Only you and I know exactly what we've been through to get to this point, whew! - it's not been easy, would you agree?!
So today I thought I'd start my post off with a few more reasons why I love you... Thanks for being there all of these years, looking forward to the next 10 and seeing what they have to bring!

Reasons why I love ~C.

1. Through all of the years that I have known you, you have always stayed true to yourself.
2. You are probably the most forgiving man I've ever met in my life, always giving people the benefit of the doubt, giving as many chances as it takes.
3. You always let me pick the music in the car, even when what I want to hear is something that makes you want to scratch your eyeballs out! lol Oh, and you never complain when I sing along to every - single - song
4. You have never tried to "keep up with the Jones'" You've always been happy with the simple things in life.
5. You still tell me that you love me every time we talk, and almost every single day, you still tell me how beautiful you think I am.
6. Your morning hugs, when I first wake up and can barely function, are something that I look forward to each and every day, they make my morning coffee so much sweeter.
7. You never complain about anything I do, IE: spending way too much time on the computer, starting a million projects and never finishing any of them, etc...
8. You're pretty easy on the eyes :o) he he
9. You love God and aren't afraid to share His message with other people.
10. You still love me after all of these years, recognisably not an easy thing to do!


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And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Today I will be heading over to ~C.'s grandmother Mary's house to help her heat up dinner, as the people that are normally there with her won't be able to get there until a little later in the evening, and while she is still fully capable of handling just about anything that life throws at her, she does need a little help with some things. just a little.
We were at her house a couple nights ago for an anniversary dinner that was spent with her and my parents in law. While we were there we were looking at a book that one of ~C.'s aunts had made of pictures and memories from the past. It appears that Mary's husband Jack was quite the record keeper and always took the time to write out memories with his photos. I believe I heard them say there are something like 126 albums? I could be mistaken about the number....
Anyway, while I was there looking at these books, watching all 3 generations recall their own memories with fondness, oh how I wish I would have had my camera with me. I couldn't keep my eyes off Mary, her memory of the people and places in these pictures was uncanny.
I couldn't help but wonder how Mary feels about her life coming full circle. Being very happily married to Jack for 50+ years before he passed on. Seven children and umpteen grandchildren, with a few great-grandchildren thrown in for good measure. Oh how she must miss that man, Jack, and the life they shared together. But how excited she must be, knowing that before long, she will be reunited with him in Heaven!
Anyway, it got me to thinking about how times have changed and families really aren't what they used to be. People are so busy with their own lives and don't seem to make the time for each other anymore, count me in as being one of the guilty parties on this one.
I realized, sitting there with Mary, that all of those memories of her life, whether her own or someone else's, were something that she made happen by being full and present in her children's lives. Always putting them first, making sure they knew that they were loved unconditionally. She made taking care of her family her life! Being present for them, what a concept in today's busy world...
I took something away from all of this the other day, although she will never know, that the most important thing is to be there for each other. Creating memories that will last well into the next generations.
Always take the time to put your family first, no matter how full your plate is, and if you think that you are too busy, then your plate is most definitely too full.
It has also inspired me to start going through my own photos, of which there are plenty, and make an attempt to organize them so that someday my daughter and grandsons might sit with me when I am in my 90's and laugh about things that happened in the past.

So long for now.... Be good to yourselves today and do something to make yourselves or someone else happy!