February, the month of love.

Ah February, the shortest and often the coldest month of the year. I love February for the skiing, for rib-sticking hot food and wearing tall boots with my skirts and dresses.  Sitting with my kids while I enjoy a mocha drink and them their hot chocolates is a perfect activity during this cold winter month.

This is also the month that advertisers suddenly are reminded that they have a heart and want to share it with you. The ads will be heart-warming; the colors of red and pink will be seen everywhere and the words love, forever, roses, diamonds and chocolates will weave a haze of happiness so thick, you may be glad to see the end of the month. It is not that I don't enjoy Valentines, but sometimes it takes on a quality of consumerism that feels tacky.

I have done some light reading as to why chocolates, diamonds and the rest are ubiquitous to February 14th, or Valentines Day, often causing much surprise and heart ache each and every year in every culture that celebrates it.  The answer seems to be lost in myth but the idea of giving a gift or poem appears to be one of shrewd marketing.  At first this seems a bit depressing, at least to me, when you suddenly discover that you are but a lemming by nature and following the whims of a good marketer, but think again.  How many ideas exist that become annual celebrations, that inspire people to reach out and take a risk giving away chocolates, diamonds and the red heart shaped cards on one day a year?  Not many. Will we see the iPad seven centuries from today?  It is highly unlikely.  And how many of us celebrate Grandparents day?  Yes, there is a day for that, and I love my grandparents but I have never celebrated this day.  Have you? After all, we celebrate Valentines Day which includes every family member you can find.

So it was a brilliant marketing idea. It was created on our own need to share for one day out of the year, your feelings for someone else.  So upon reflection, Valentines Day and celebrations like it ( for some reason I can only think of  the Super Bowl as an example) share this desire to connect that is well outside of the marketing hype. Valentines Day, in spite of its over-the-top commercialism, is a day created by you and me.

So treat yourself and others too, to chocolates, or wine in paper cups on a bench overlooking the ocean, or a diamond for yourself, because you have to show yourself the love too.  Happy Valentines Day.

Happy New Year to all,

And welcome to 2012.  Since 2007, my life and those connected to me have endured loss, even heartbreaking loss, celebrated joys, and discovered that life takes on a crooked path. There were times when, upon awaking, that I wanted everything to be different, and there were times when I went to sleep glad to have seen the day.

This year may or may not bring prosperity to those who find themselves in dire straits; it may or may not bring about great changes in politics or global anything. Someone will wake up to do harm, another will arise to save a life, and another just manage to survive; and, upon and within that crooked path I am on,  I will probably be on a first name basis with at least one or all of these people.

I am resolute that this year I will make every effort to wake up and hold love close to my heart.  I believe this step will help me in 2012. It will remind me to help those who are in need, knowing that paths take on trouble and strife in all walks of life; it will be that one thing which will keep me strong in my faith of a higher power, the worth of my family and the worth of all human beings; it may keep me sane when I feel as if I am talking on a different radio frequency than everyone else.  When I succeed in doing this and can hold love in my heart, I will see my children burn with a brighter energy and people around me respond with more ease and lightness. I will be more able to deal with the crooked path of life and more capable of forgiving myself of my own stupidity.

Luckily for me, I have more chocolate tiles to make and create. Holding love close to my heart while I  create something that gives a moment of happiness to others, well, I am sure that this resolution  may be the secret ingredient to all good things in life (oops, I guess that is like giving away a trade secret if it makes my chocolate taste delicious). So, from my house to yours, I give you my trade secret for 2012.