I want to crown you with roses

 

Vieni ben mio, ti vola fronte in coronar di rose!

Alison Hagley, Soprano

John Eliot Gardner, Conductor

Act IV, Le Nozze di Figaro

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I think I'm in love: Mozart violin sonata, K. 303

I've fallen in love all over again. And although the object of my affection still has a large, prominent nose and wears a red coat and a powdered wig, I've made some new discoveries. Several weeks ago I posted Mozart's violin sonata, K. 304. Today I'm posting K. 303, and am every bit as enamored with this one as I was that one. Listen and fall in love, too.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata for Piano and Violin K303 Gil Shaham, Violin, Orli Shaha, Piano.

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Ich liebe dich, Herr Mozart

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Longing for Vienna

I awakened this morning longing to be in Vienna. Perhaps its not the city so much as what the city means to me, but all the same, I wish I were there today.

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The miracle of love

A miracle is never lost. It may touch many people you have not even met, and produce undreamed changes in situations of which you are not even aware. ~ Doreen Virtue

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Our love song

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ILD!

I heard this song on the radio this morning and I thought of you. It has always been one of the songs that I felt summed us up perfectly. You are the greatest gift that I've ever received. To say "I love you", is an understatement.

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It's the funny little things you do...

Yesterday was a great day. Steph and I drove to Tulsa for the afternoon where she had an eye doctor's appointment. While we waited for Steph's glasses to be made at Lens Crafter's, we drove over to Mimi's Cafe for a late lunch and then walked through the mall and window shopped. We didn't buy anything, but it we had loads of fun just being together. While walking around, we saw one of those kitschy little photo booths that you see on the boardwalks at Cony Island and ducked in to have our picture made together. We laughed and cut up with one another. Then after Steph got her glasses fitted, we drove back home and went to the new wine bar in town, Zannotti's where we enjoyed a wonderful Pinot Grigio and a cheese plate.

It was a completely enjoyable day.

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To love me is to know me

We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.

~ Sam Keane, To Love and Be Loved

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Happy Anniversary

Today Steph and I are celebrating the 7th anniversary of our Holy Union service, which was held at the College Hill Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We publicly acknowledged and celebrated our love and commitment to one another in the presence of those who understood that love is just that--love. Family who celebrated with us were my precious Aunt Pat, who although she didn't quite understand completely, opened her heart and accepted us, and my daughter, Lauren, whose loving and open spirit rejoiced with us in our happiness. The rest were some of our close friends and the supportive members of the College Hill congregation.

One day, when this country wakes up and realizes that love isn't about one's gender,(or perceived gender), and that people should be free to share their lives with whomever they choose to share them, then we will be legally married.

I adore you, Steph. You're everything I have ever wanted or needed.

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Love

Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.

~Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Nothing says it like a song.

And this song says it all...

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House cat night

Last night was an unusual Thursday, one where I was actually able to come home and relax without the usual whir of activity--running here and there, etc. When I got home from work, I was greeted by Steph with a warm embrace and a kiss, as well as, "I missed you today". That warmed me all over. Then after I taught my Thursday voice lesson, I took a little snooze on the couch while Steph prepared the ingredients for "build-your-own-burrito" night for dinner. Steph and I then took our dinner upstairs to our room and watched the DVD of "Immortal Beloved", which I gave to her for her birthday, and lay on the bed together, like a couple of house cats, cuddling and purring. Afterwards, we continued to lay on the bed and listen to music and talk of our personal growth, our dreams, and our move to Vienna.

What a pleasant way to spend a Thursday night!

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So In Love

(I'm posting this late on the night of the 23rd because Steph's birthday is tomorrow, the 24th.)

There is only one day that's happier for me than the day you were born, and that was the day I found you! Happy Birthday, Liebchen! I hope you know how much I adore you!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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At Last

At Last

At last, when all the summer shine
That warmed life's early hours is past,
Your loving fingers seek for mine
And hold them close—at last—at last!
Not oft the robin comes to build
Its nest upon the leafless bough
By autumn robbed, by winter chilled,—
But you, dear heart, you love me now.

Though there are shadows on my brow
And furrows on my cheek, in truth,—
The marks where Time's remorseless plough
Broke up the blooming sward of Youth,—
Though fled is every girlish grace
Might win or hold a lover's vow,
Despite my sad and faded face,
And darkened heart, you love me now!

I count no more my wasted tears;
They left no echo of their fall;
I mourn no more my lonesome years;
This blessed hour atones for all.
I fear not all that Time or Fate
May bring to burden heart or brow,—
Strong in the love that came so late,
Our souls shall keep it always now!

-by Elizabeth Akers Allen

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Unconditional Love

Unconditional Love
by Meilena Hauslendale

When we love someone in its truest of form, it is a pure love, a love with no conditions. Love out of purity can develop over time or be instantaneous in some situations.

When we love or care for someone unconditionally it is because we want to, not because we feel we have to. We don't love that person because of what they do for us.

We don't love them because we want something that they have. We love them because we have a special place reserved in our hearts and in our spirits specifically for them. This love is unshaken because it is based on truth not on convenience.

It doesn't even matter if our love is reciprocated by the person we care for. It doesn't matter if they turn their backs and walk away. It doesn't matter if they choose to say nothing at all, because the love you have for them exists regardless of the circumstance and regardless of the condition. It is simply based on your strong sense of care for this individual. It is not based on power. It is not based ... It is based on love's purest intentions.

When we love someone unconditionally, we love them as they are, as they were, and as they intend to be. We embrace their past, their present, and their future as a fine intricate detail of who they are. When they speak, we listen to them. When they are still, we stand by their sides. When they need to be left alone, we leave them be, but we continue to love them even when separated by distance.

Unconditional love goes beyond just the emotions of love, it develops in the core of our being as it is there where we hold those close to us so dearly.

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Do Not Disturb

I can't express how much I am looking forward to Steph's and my "hole in" night.

Tonight we are not parents, we're not counselors, we're not crisis managers, we're not cooks, we're not housekeepers, we're not web designers, we're not disgruntled Americans, we're not firefighters, or saviors of the world. We're friends, companions, lovers, dreamers...

Ahhhhhhhh...

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When love is forever

One of the greatest things about the belief in reincarnation is the fact that when Steph and I tell one another that we love one another forever, it doesn't simply mean in the future. We know that we are already living it. Forever is past, present, and future. I have loved, I love, and I will love this soul forever. And to me, there is nothing more comforting nor secure than knowing that I'm always loved and that I will always love.


Today's Musical feature is Mozart's Andante & Variations in G major, for piano (four hands), K. 501

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This marriage

I found a text which describes perfectly what I have found and celebrate in my own life with the love of my life. This text has been artfully and sensitively set to music by Los Angeles composer, Eric Whitacre. It is most definitely worth a click to listen.

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.

May it be sweet milk,
this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky.
I am out of words to describe
how spirit mingles in this marriage.

Kulliyat-i-Shams 2667

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Love them for who they are

Upon reading the following quote by Thomas Merton, I have been meditating upon what it means for me and what it means for those whom I love.

"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them." - Thomas Merton

If you know anything of my background, you know that I grew up in a very conservative, evangelical Christian home where conformity and following the rules were the keys to love and acceptance. It wasn't until well into adulthood did I encounter the person who would not only challenge my notions of what love is, but who would, for the first time in my life, demonstrate true, unconditional, sacrificial love for me. It was in my relationship with Steph that I learned unconditional acceptance was the first step towards unconditional love. Steph was the first person who loved me for who I was without having to make me over into someone else. She celebrated even the most "challenging" aspects of my personality and took those as only a part of the whole person, a person who she found to be beautiful, intelligent, loving, and fascinating. Her way of loving changed my life, and transformed my way of thinking and being. As a result, I am a much better friend, spouse, mother, and person. And as I implement this kind of love into my relationships, I find that I am more at peace with myself, with others, and with my creator.
It is not necessary for me to understand why people are who and what they are, but it is essential that I love and accept them for what and who they are without placing my expectations and reality upon them, or making them over into who or what I believe they should be. This isn't always easy, but it is something that I strive to achieve in all of my relationships.

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