“Katie. Here. Daddy. R. You. Playing. UNO. Now”

(the iPhone puts a period at the end of a word after a couple of spacebar taps. It makes it easy to see when Katie is sending me messages – and that much cuter.)

Here are some good words to remember and live by.

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2″ in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled everything else. “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life.” “The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health – anything that is so important to you that if were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles, and the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your wife out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.”

“Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

Love, Mommy

Love, Mommy

Love, Mommy

What was even a more special for both of us was to hear our little Katie up and about the morning of our Anniversary … whistling, tip-toeing, and secretly opening and closing doors/refrigerators … the works. I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on as Andy and I still lay there in bed. Well … Katie “woke” us up to a “Happy Anniversary, to you … Happy Anniversary, to you!” song and holding in each hand was a plate with a peeled banana, a yogurt cup and a piece of bread that had been buttered. No sweeter gift did we receive that morning!

My sweet husband and I are truly blessed! My dear husband … thank you for sharing this wonderful life with me!

I love you! HB