02222011

memories. they 'happen' at the most unexpected moments, when they are triggered by something: a few bars of music... a string of lyrics... a trail of scent... the taste of mastic... the texture of a pebble between my fingers. when these things happen, memories fall on me... like a warm and gentle shower of rain. they bathe me... like a sensual summer breeze.

this morning: i walked out to my back porch to water my plants. and though the air had the harsh bite of winter, i saw a little red ladybug resting on a lemon tree leaf, taking shelter in the warmth of the plant. a bright red fragile bubble speckled with black dots.

and i remembered... my very first books... as a child... just learning how to read. ladybird books. from which i learned my abc's. a is for apple. b is for book. c is for cat... x is for xylophone. y is for yellow. z is for zebra. and i remembered... graduating from those early books to ladybird nursery rhymes: hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle... jack sprat could eat no fat... rub a dub dub. followed by the fairy tale series. which i read. and dreamt. and read. and dreamt: princess and the pea... puss in boots... the frog prince... hansel and grethel. 

so much memory... from an unexpected glance at a small creature. sweet memory. tender thought.

i am grateful for having gone outside to water my plants, this morning.

and i know it's going to be a beautiful day… sun-filled and drenched in the syrup of nostalgia.

there is a brilliant smile on my face that nothing in the world can erase.