Love Notes

Sep 15, 2024 • #maine #summer

Fireflies 8/29/24

I'm still in Maine, where the license plates actually do read "Vacationland". I still have another week to enjoy my beloved summer spot on this sublime coastline. While out on my ritual morning walk earlier this week, I found myself listening extra carefully to a lovely little ballad by singer songwriter Lori McKenna, in which she melodically reminisces about catching fireflies "in mayonnaise jars with holes poked on top". (Have a listen to her sing it here). * READ MORE

Aug 25, 2024 • #paris

Sun Shine On 7/28/24

I had been collecting images of Paris for today's note, with hopes of staying a leap - or more accurately, just a wee step ahead, in what has become a Sunday ritual with my proverbial pen. And yet, here I sit, still mired amid the first paragraph. Despite all the joy and inspiration from watching thousands of dedicated summer athletes gracefully dancing their way across the city of light and beyond, (the Olympic sailing venue is in Marseille - follow along here) ... AND despite a take-your-breath-away performance by Celine Dion, I am not finding much gold to be mined from my third party vantage point sitting here at my desk. Aaahhhh oh sigh. Maybe it's just that I'm ready for my August vacation. Let's keep it simple for today.

Shine on Olympian superstars. May we bask in the aftermath of your glow. READ MORE

Aug 25, 2024 • #italy #purpose

Where May Your Paths Lead You? 7/22/24

In searching for a header image for this week's love note, I looked, like I usually do when I'm seeking inspiration, to nature. Today I found it in a work of art inspired by nature's beauty.

Let’s pause and take a closer look at the exquisite painting above. The eye is drawn in by those wispy stratocumulus clouds, along with their reflections on the water. All these vectors seem to lead into a single vanishing point on the far shore. (You can see this better in a larger image here.) Say, isn't that what we all want in life ... to have a clear spot on the horizon towards which we should point our bow? No doubt we'll encounter some obstacles, like those islands in the foreground. It's likely that at some point, we'll have to tack back and forth to make any headway to windward. But how do we know where our mark is? How do we know what it is it that we are working our way towards? READ MORE

Jul 15, 2024 • #summer

Enthusiasm 7/15/24

So much of life is just diving in. Well, maybe not if you're hanging wallpaper. But you know what I mean. When I found myself newly divorced 14 years ago, I vowed that whenever a friend invited me for a visit - or to do just about anything, really - my reply would be, "Thank you so much, I would love to come!" (And to all of you who invited me, bless you, and we did have some fun!) READ MORE

Jul 15, 2024 • #fourth #july #shells

Shell yeah

How was your weekend? Full of fresh watermelon and blueberries, I hope. With the Fourth now fully in our rear view mirror, we are officially in the throes of summer. Shell yeah (in this use, "yeah" is pronounced with a minimum of two syllables). Remember last January, when we were DREAMING about sultry summer days like this?

Last Thursday, July 4th, I had the unique privilege of bearing witness to 74 individuals as they turned THEIR DREAMS into reality. On the West Lawn of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, these 74 men and women from 36 countries took the oath of citizenship to become our newest fellow Americans. READ MORE