Brad Gets the Blessing

Dec. 21

It seemed like ages since I had seen him, but then it always did. I was so excited to see Brad again. And when I saw him arrive with the others, he was even more wonderful than I remembered him! I gave him a huge hug and the two of us couldn't keep from smiling. We went down to the carousel to claim the luggage, and I got to hear what had been happening recently in the past few busy days.

Probably one of the hardest things on that day was to let meu amor sleep. I just was so excited to be with him that I had to fight myself to let him doze off as we waited for his luggage which was arriving on the following flight and then again on the trip home. How time can at once stand still and speed by, I'll never know.

But, when we got in the car, we had at least a little while before exhaustion overcame Brad. And I was all smiles, when he told me how much he enjoyed the banana bread that I had made especially for him. When we stopped at the roadside fruit stand, I couldn't help it any longer. Brad was asleep in the back, the only way that I figured I could really manage to allow him t sleep. But I missed him too much... so I leaned over, ran my fingers through his hair. He woke up gently, and a soft smile slowly crossed his face, so I leaned across the back of the front seat and gave him a gentle kiss. "Mmm," he said. "What a wonderful way to wake up." And it seemed that way to me too. Perhaps I was waking up to a dream instead of waking up from a dream. But somehow kisses are the sweetest when the space between them has left us longing.

As we entered the house, everyone (Mom, Jerry, even Tessa) greeted Brad with the warmest of welcome. They had already gotten to know and love Brad on several occassions (at Emily's wedding, in Sedona). But, I'd venture they loved him at least on some level before then. They loved him when they learned how wonderful he was for me and how happy he made me. Every story I'd tell him about our Sundays together, our drives, our hikes, our walks in the evenings... made them smile. And they loved Brad already through the many stories they heard.

I had pleaded with my mom to only make a little meal to hold us over. I love cooking, and I love cooking for the ones I love; but, this past semester had left me with little time to make anything for my love. And I really wanted to do just anything I could to show my great love for him, to show how happy I was that he was there. And honestly, I was and still am quite indimidated by the girls in his family. They're all the best homemakers every: sewing, cooking, cleaning, organizing. I'm sure I could never compete, but I was dying to at least try to convince Brad that I'd really try for him. My mom helped, since it was her kitchen and she knows where everything is. And we made "chicken lisa" with couscous, salad, and edamame... along with some brownies for dessert.

When we were almost finished, I again couldn't stand it any longer. My love was here in my home... I just needed to talk to him. Before sending him up to his guest room, I'd put my Christmas gifts for him on the bed. Simple but heartfelt. I wrote him 3 poems and made 'coupons' good for things like hugs, kisses, dinner, dessert, a night out, cleaning the dishes, etc. And when I brushed his arm and woke him up, he again smiled. We sat there with each other talking, and his smile told me even more than his words how much he loved my small, simple presents. Perhaps that's what I love so much about Brad. He loves the things that really matter... the heart of the matter.