Leftover Love for Valentine's Day

avatar
(Edited)


"Where is the love?" he said. Frankly, I didn't know what he was talking about. Didn't I send you one of those beautiful heartfelt Valentine cards? It expressed it all so lovely, I could have written it myself. That has to mean something. I even stopped and contemplated what to write and took my time with it, just so I would say what I wanted to say.


20201220_094424.jpg


"Yes. Yes. The card was beautiful, but, where is the love?" A picture of a Christmas fruit cake appeared on my screen. Oh... that love. The kind that took half a dozen different nuts and countless pounds of citron and cherries and other things. My brother's love can be bought for a mere fruit cake? Seriously? I have been wasting brain cells on Christmas shopping all these years. I could have tied it up in a big red bow and called it macaroni, yes? That is how I remember it anyway.


20201219_135809.jpg


So, there I was, the day before the Happy Heart Day putting the finishing touches on the labor-intensive, fruit-laden, cake that has become synonymous with Christmas and my love. I am not sure how it ever came to be that no cake = no love. Just to keep it on the up and up, I wrapped all four of them, just so he didn't run out. There is nothing quite like brandy-aged fruit cake. I know! There are haters out there, but, this is February, the month of love and you owe it to yourself to come over to the dark side.


20201222_143222 2.jpg


It was one of those days when my heart is full. ❤️ I will send these off tomorrow and surround my sibling with more love than he can imagine. Drifting through the rest of the night, I allow myself to bask in the love that I feel. I will enjoy each and every moment, mostly because I have learned that life can be so fleeting. I love this getting together that we do, family gatherings, the traditions carried out, and their meanings passed down to the younger ones. Family traditions give us all a feeling of belonging... Part of something bigger than ourselves. I remember exactly what I love about my life, just being - and inhaling the wonder of it all.


tree of life.jpg


My tree of life is filled with branches, that branch off from other branches. Mother Nature has it all figured out. My family tree isn't perfect, but, I wouldn't trade it for anything.


There is no hiding in this family. You just gotta be you and I just gotta be me. As you can see, it doesn't pay - to not be true to you. It is titled Masks.

She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through.
Then passed right by–
And never knew.
~Shel Silverstein


20150105_121444 mask.jpg


Flowers. Always. To color my world. #alwaysaflower When I don't know exactly what words to use, I say it with flowers. It fills in the words all on its own.


IMG_9925a.JPG


All I have are my words, armed in my mind, written in pen, stand by stand. Oh, yes. Still by hand. It has a different feel. Altered not by keys, backspace, and delete, I write, erase, tear it to pieces and start all over again. And again.

It’s my way. I walk out to the deep end of the page and dive right in.

20201121_162447ab denise 2.jpg



Facebook

Twitter

Instagram




The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost


#TeamUSA is a growing community of quality-content people from the United States or those living here. Check us out on Discord!

TEAMUSAhive_dswigle 1.jpg




0
0
0.000
63 comments
avatar

Bittorrent Golden Wallet Prizes

Grand Prize 10,000,000 BTT
Four Weekly Prizes 1,000,000 BTT
Hive Sign in Prizes 100 Hive

For hive users prizes are distrubuted based on their profile reputation Point. Don't get behind Sign in Now CLICK HERE and claim your Prizes now

Reputation Point based Prizes:

70+ Rep: 400 HIVE
60+ Rep: 300 HIVE
50+ Rep: 200 HIVE
40+ Rep: 100 HIVE

0
0
0.000
avatar

Where is the love? Well, it is a very common question I heard on Valentine day. Is that really come with cards in order to express the love? A well said by Franky. I do not really know about valentine day that how it was created and how people celebrate or doing on that day but, it was great to hear a story from you about heart day. By the way, the tree is such a big tree, Is your family grow it or it a nature building?

0
0
0.000
avatar

The tree was my parents and I think they planted it when they got married. They no longer live at the house, but, the tree is preserved. Valentine's Day as quoted by Britannica Encyclopedia: Given their similarities, it has been suggested that the holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. True? Not sure. There were so many entries on Google giving the same story.

They do not celebrate it there in Cambodia?

0
0
0.000
avatar

Well, I do see many sellers sell flowers along the street on that day. Surely there is no big celebration in Cambodia that we can easily to know that they celebrate but, when we walk to the store or restaurant we may see a decoration of Valentine’s Day. Besides that in some restaurants they have a new special recipe on the menu and they have a discount on it too. And Yeahhh That’s all what I have noticed in Cambodia.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It is more than I thought they would have. :) I always think that it is used as a commercial ploy to make money for the businesses. :)

0
0
0.000
avatar

What a fabulous blog about Love, that brandy soaked fruit mix looks deeeevine!
This would be the perfect entry for our BoM - Love so pleeeze would you consider adding the hashtag #bom. I know our rules state it has to be the first tag aaand has to be added in our announcement post comments & our Discord, but it's too beautiful a piece of writing not to have it there! I can always share your post link. 😍

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you! That's so sweet! I am so flattered. I had no idea where this was going when I sat down to write it tonight. I'll add the tag, I guess I didn't know there was a discord. :)

Let me know what i need to do besides the tag. And again, thank you!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Love is a natural process that everyone goes through. Man must have this love for something or other. Sometimes a man loves his homosexual, sometimes he loves pets.But he only expresses himself to the man who is his beloved. Allah Almighty has made man the noblest of creatures. Better a poor horse than no horse at all. If he is not a tyrant, if he does not deceive and hurt anyone

0
0
0.000
avatar

Love is very natural, you are right and I don't think we can control what/who we love. It comes from within.

Thank you for stopping and reading the post, and the comment. I hope you have a wonderful day!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Love raises it's head in so many ways, siblings, parents, friends. The hand that makes the gifts, selectively adding love to the mix, oh for the lucky sibling who perceives all the love that went in!

Heartfelt musings once again, always written with your pen (keyboard) 😇

!LUV

0
0
0.000
avatar

We will see, but, I am sure he recognizes it. It is funny that he was quick to tell me. :)) I have so many brothers and I cannot believe that they haven't gotten their wives to make it for them. My sister's too! It doesn't taste the same.

I guess that is love too.

Good day from here, Joan! @joanstewart I hope your upcoming day will be amazing. xoxo

Thanks for the !LUV

0
0
0.000
avatar

Brothers have some strange quirky ways, sisters just do it better, it's what they used to!

My little sister always hid away when it came to work when young, now outshines me in many special treats she makes.

We learn to band together, that blood bond I think they say, yup some love to stick it together too....

Having a gorgeous day, hope yours if full of sunshine too!

!LOLZ

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

"Where is the love?"

Everywhere. We just have to see/feel it. I am trying to be/remain positive and happy.

!PIZZA.
!LUV.
!hivebits.

Have a nice day and have a nice weekend.
All the best. Greetings and much love from Hungary.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hivebits blends Hive's blockchain and Bitcoin's ethos. Your effort = your reward. Mine HBIT simply with ! hivebits (no space), one-per-day. Success! You just mined .9 HBIT and the user you replied to received .1 HBIT on your behalf. You can receive 100% of the HBIT by replying to one of your own posts or comments. Or, support Hivebits by using the official HBIT mine | your wallet | market | tools | connect | <><

0
0
0.000
avatar

I have not heard of this before, bit thank you for it!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yes, give it a try. I'll do my daily "mining" right now and you'll get a little bit as well.
!hivebits

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hivebits blends Hive's blockchain and Bitcoin's ethos. Your effort = your reward. Mine HBIT simply with ! hivebits (no space), one-per-day. Success! You just mined .9 HBIT and the user you replied to received .1 HBIT on your behalf. You can receive 100% of the HBIT by replying to one of your own posts or comments. Or, support Hivebits by using the official HBIT mine | your wallet | market | tools | connect | <><

0
0
0.000
avatar

I am so glad to hear that. I know that love cannot be forces, but, just like you have so much dragging you down at times, it is admirable that you try to remain positive and happy. Some days, I have to look at the small things to find some redeeming thing about the day, but, I did find that there is always something. Always.

Your Harris Hawk is one of those things. She is so very lucky to have you. I am sure she feels loved, as much as one can.

Thank you for all the tokens!

Have a wonderful weekend!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Sweet, poetic words. I love this!

Talking about valentine's love, Thanks for donating to my weekend contest, it meant alot to me.

!PIZZA

#alwaysAFlower

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you! Your words are too kind. as always. Valentine's love. We just can't get enough of it, can we? Or love for that matter.

Oh! Pizza! Yes, please!

Thanks for stopping by and leaving your words.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wow! What a great post! Spread the !LUV

Cheers,
@andy-plays

!gif love

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hehe! Spreading the love, for sure! I hope he gets his LOVE soon! :) Thanks for stopping by @andy-plays !

Yikes! My eyes!!!! LOL

0
0
0.000
avatar

Love is a beautiful thing , be it agape or romantic . For one to love others , you must first of all love yourself, that way the love you give yourself will rub off on people around you eventually. Nice article! 👍🏾👍🏾

0
0
0.000
avatar

Such a perfect thought. Rubbing off on people sounds nice. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your words.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Always a pleasure ma’am! Thanks for the kind words too !!

0
0
0.000
avatar

On a happy valentine's day. You are also decorated with good food and a few beautiful flowers.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you very much. I appreciate the comment. Have a wonderful day!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Heartwarming musings about love. Gifts, cheap or expensive, are expressions of our love for each other.

My family tree isn't perfect, but, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I love this sentence. Me too! Sometimes, we may wish for the 'perfect' family but there's nothing like that.

Inspiring words, as always! How are you doing, @dswigle? Have a pleasant weekend. ❤️

0
0
0.000
avatar

I don't believe that anyone has a perfect family, honestly. There is always something because even if it might appear that way, opinions will differ on what is perfect.

But, like me, you wouldn't trade. They kind of grow on you, don't they? Hehe. I am so glad you stopped in and said hello! I have been great! How about you? Have a great weekend!

!LUV

0
0
0.000
avatar

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.... that really DOES say love! The time, the expense....oh my !

Of course after seeing this, I want some. When I go to Mom's tomorrow, I will see if she still has fruitcake cookies floating around there somewhere. I bet she does !!

I know it feeds your heart and soul to give, just like it does mine. I can imagine that good feeling will last a long time, knowing how happy he is going to be when he gets these.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yes? Do you want some? I mean really? Fruitcake cookies are delicious, but, very different than cakes. Maybe because they are rum ~soaked~ aged and can be aged for over a year in the refrigerator and be delicious! Really! They don't taste old nor get moldy. Who knew?

I hope you get some cookies! If you don't, send smoke signals.

You are right. It does my heart good. Every. Single. Time. Have a great day, El!

0
0
0.000
avatar

I know they are different. I have made the cookies before, a recipe passed down the family line, but I have never made a REAL fruitcake. The cookies have apple brandy? .. in them, but not soaked of course. Mom has made the real cakes some years though, so I do know they are very different, but she didn't make one this year. I know, shame on me for not doing it myself!

There is never a bad time to get fruitcake even though you normally see them at Christmas like you said. I guess that also keeps them special when you can't get them all the time (unless you make a bunch and freeze them). Your photos look so good !

0
0
0.000
avatar

I never freeze them, but, put them in the back of the refrigerator. (the one in the garage, so it doesn't take up vital real estate!) I know you can freeze them, but, to be honest, I wonder if the texture changes? Probably not. It's cake.

Of course, my head knew you knew they were different. :)) I don't even know why I mentioned it. I didn't realize the cookies have apple brandy! Yum! I am glad your mom did the cookies, I am sure it was a hard year for her overall.

Thanks again! Have a great day!

0
0
0.000
avatar

ha ha ... I didn't take any offense about knowing the difference. If I sounded like it, MY BAD !

Once you mention it, I am wondering if Mom has actually frozen some like I thought, or if hers was also in that frig in the garage .. .LOL... she has two fridges in there and an freezer or vice versa. I wouldn't think the freezing would affect it much as dense as it is and fruit, nuts and cake in general usually take it well. Drenched in spirits though, I can only imagine it would not be necessary.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I didn't take any offense about knowing the difference. If I sounded like it, MY BAD !

Noooo! Not at all. I was just being silly or something like that. ❤️

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wao so lovely you are very good writer @dswigle

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you. Which part did you like best?

0
0
0.000
avatar

The love for your family, i love my family so much and they always stand by me, i really love that part @dswigle

0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @dswigle! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):

You distributed more than 54000 upvotes.
Your next target is to reach 55000 upvotes.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Hive Power Up Month - Feedback from February day 17
0
0
0.000
avatar

Beside, the card, I would also request that proof of love ! Your brother knows it all!, oh mine , that cake! if you cook/bake as you write about love and life, im sure that the resulting product is delicious

0
0
0.000
avatar

WARNING - The message you received from @bjblendah82 is a CONFIRMED SCAM!

DO NOT FOLLOW any instruction and DO NOT CLICK on any link in the comment!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Handmade beats shop made hands down!
Gifts that are made are full of love and so much better💙

0
0
0.000
avatar

flowers. always flowers. this is true, when you run out of words to express what you feel flowers can say everything :) thanks for sharing this wonderful blog about love

0
0
0.000