taking a breath

Sometimes I just need to take a second to breath.

**sigh**

It's the small things in my life that need appreciation.

Life isn't ALL about the big travels, and finding the love of my life or even learning about things through books. I learned today to cherish the small moments I share with people.

For example, the dinner I prepared with my uncle in Queens. How we cut coupons together in his house while KTU was blasting in the background. How I teased him for getting old, because only old people cut coupons... how we walked together under one umbrella to go grocery shopping for dinner. The platanos I helped him peel and cut. The funny (and painful) moment when the oil splashed on our arms, our burnt garlic bread and our hilarious conversations over the meal we just prepared with all of our love.

Those moments I will cherish.

Or, when I got to my 87 year old grandmothers house this evening and she admired my bracelet (I appreciate her taste and when she likes something of mine I am very flattered, I always looked up to her vintage, unique, girly style as I was growing up!) She wanted to shine it for me, so she took out the jewelry shiner, the same [jewelry shiner] jar that she used since I was a little girl, there was only a bit left, but that didn't stop her from trying to get my bracelet the shiniest that she could! After carefully and lovingly drying it thoroughly, she asked me to put it on and in her precious, aged, voice told me how beautiful it looked on me.

These moments I hold deep to my heart. These small moments when I experience a one-on-one connection to the most important people in my life, these moments when I live through an ordinary experience with extraordinary meaning to me, I hold them dear to my heart.

I will always cherish these moments, always.

always.