February 2025
***There is news about one of my works in progress! Visit the Books page to read about my next book!***
February – the traditional month of love! I’ve written about love many times before, usually each February but on other occasions as well. If you’d like read more, just type LOVE into the search
At times we throw around the word “LOVE” as casually as if we were tossing garbage into a trash can. On rare occasions we use it as the treasure it is, a solemn vow spoken in reverence. Most of the time, our use of the word is somewhere in between.
It’s commonplace to say I love my family, or I love my dog, or I love pizza. Some other ordinary uses for me might be I love living at the beach, I love sleeping in, I love reading, or I love getting together with friends.
As I thought about what I love, several ideas came to mind that are not so ordinary. Maybe some of these sound strange to you. Maybe some are loves you share. I thought of these in categories of the senses when I wrote them several years ago as a poem.
As visions, I love to see . . .A baby’s face crinkling into a smile. Dappled sun on the forest floor. The first spring leaves upon the trees. Bare branches’ intricate lacework in winter. Glisten on the sand after waves’ retreat. Speckled leaves, red, orange, yellow, purple, brown. Red dirt roads with clay ruts and eroded or banks. Kudzu monsters. Ladies in ball gowns. Fantasy animals in cloud puffs. Mimosa pink powder puff blooms Cool dew-jeweled violets in spring shade. Puzzle patterns in bark Stone striae in black, gray, white.
In sounds, I love to hear . . .Wistful wind. Rushing water. Baby giggles. Crunching leaves. Far off beach music. Wind chimes. Rain on a tin roof. Train whistles at night. Monastery chant. Little children singing Jesus Loves Me. Summer pool sounds muffled by your ear against the towel. A beloved dog’s contented sigh. Newborn baby’s cry
In scents, I love to smell . . .
Dry dust when first spattered by rain. Vanilla flavoring. Autumn leaf fire. Dark, moist, rich forest floor after rain. Baking – cookies, bread, cakes, pies. Peppers and onions sizzling in butter. Splashed hot pavement around the summer pool. A new box of crayons. Sun dried cloth diapers. Coffee. Leather. New car. Puppy breath.
I love the touch of . . .
Velvet, chenille, satin, suede. Cool polish of a river pebble. Bare feet on moss. Lucky rubbed chestnut. Sand grains sifting through toes and fingers. Mist of the sea. Cool hands on hot foreheads. Deliciously cold air conditioning on your sweaty neck. Your own bed after a long day. Just enough sun’s warmth. Baby oil on skin. Silken dog ears. Pony tail swish on your bare back.
I love to taste . . .
The first home-grown tomato of summer: plus the mayo, salt, and pepper. Mama’s dressing with giblet gravy – smothered in memory. Creamy New York cheesecake – sliding, smoothing. Hot fudge. On ice cream. With nuts. And whipped cream. A grill-seared steak – juicy and fat. Ice cold watermelon. Spit the seeds. Rich’s coconut cake. Tropical delight. Bacon. Bacon. Bacon. Hot from the oven cornbread. With butter. The perfect French fry. Nearly unobtainable.
If you go to the About Georgia Janet page of this website you’ll find a few more things I love. They reveal even more about who I am and what I care about.
What about you? I challenge you to not throw around the word “love” like garbage. Think about what you love most deeply and what you love casually. I would be interested to know what you love in the passing of a moment as I have.
Scroll down to share your thoughts in a comment.
This is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!! As a Southern gal, you and I “love” many, many of the same things. One I loved was “Mimosa pink powder puff blooms”–that has always been a favorite of mine since childhood. You have outdone yourself with your touching, poetic recital of some of the things you “love.” Made my day–this one I shall print and keep close by. Thanks, Janet
Thanks so much Sheila. I think many of us Southern gals probably love the pink mimosa blooms. Remember brushing them against your cheek like a powder puff?
I Love You!!!!!!!!!!’
Love you too- let me know if you’re going to be close by!