#simple blessings

♫ Singy, simplicity we use fi survive Many find it difficult because dem ignorant and hype One alone you get, you nah go live another life Telling dem again, but anuh inna that deh voice Life no give chance too often Cut out some of the sadness and invest inna laughing Time you take a stress, lifetime passing Tell dem say you love dem before you see dem in a coffin Let me tell you this, mi nigga Good days, bad days, you no see a weather? Me woulda trade house and car, and cheddar just fi get one more minute with mi brother So, you better spend time together Cherish every second of the day when you deh yah Gotta tell you…I had a close one yesterday, Jah put an angel over me ♫

It's not something I dislike about myself, nor is it something I feel needs to change. It is simply a fact about the many bits and bobbles that make me... me.

Don't misunderstand me though, I'm not one to watch gushy romance films, or spend my day fawning over 'what used to be.'

My sentiment is solidified directly on the travelers around me, day in and day out.

Occasionally, a traveler I know well will come to visit, bringing friendly conversation and amiable company, and sometimes, they will bring with them a gift from their travels.

A hand knit sea turtle, stuffed to the brim and soft as velvet.

A necklace, made from pearlescent purple wire, wrapped tightly around a sea polished pebble of granite.

A cardboard box of homemade fudge, as rich as chocolate pie.

These are the things I cherish, the things I savor, the things I keep close by so I can admire them often. They hold memories, secrets, stories carried from the neighboring town or as far as an ocean away. Each one is as unique as those who bring them to give to me. And no matter how trivial, how plain, how commonplace, or mundane, I treasure each and every one. Because no matter the object, I delight in the fact that someone I'm fond of saw it, and thought of me.

Yes, I suppose I am sentimental, but each gift holds a place in my heart, a story it keeps, and a reminder of the blessings....

The blessings of friendship, of family, and of the joy of giving gifts.

Call me sentimental

But stay for a moment and I'll open up my treasure trove, and by the time you return to the road you arrived on, I promise you this:

You'll learn to appreciate the subtle unspoken message that comes with the words:

"I saw this, and I thought of you."

June 16