Thursday, February 14, 2013

This Is a Post About Love

"I love you." Three simple words, taken individually. Put them together and they can become very hard to say. I have a husband, family, and friends whom I love. And cats. (Just two; don't be alarmed.) I don't tell most of them "I love you" nearly enough. In the case of friends, maybe not ever. Why? What's the worst that could happen? Hearing those words from me, a rather non-expressive person, some of them would probably laugh uncomfortably and wonder if perhaps I had a brain tumor. If I accompanied this outburst of feelings with a lurch forward for a hug, I'd be whisked to the hospital for a comprehensive physical at once (and God knows what THAT exam would reveal. Horrors!).

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I want to share some of my most prized possessions. They are drawings made by my niece, K., and nephew, R. I've had them for years. (The drawings, not my niece and nephew.)

K and me. I'm the taller one.
This is on my fridge and makes me smile every time I see it.
A lovely birthday card from K.
And an equally lovely (and remarkably similar!) card from R. 
I don't have kids of my own, unless you count the cats (and, yes, sometimes I do). K and R are the closest I have, and I treasure the homemade cards and presents they give me. Especially the ones that say "I love you." So don't call the doctor, friends and family, but I love you too. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I'm lurching forward for a hug...

Love,
Ms. CrankyPants

18 comments:

  1. aawwww, too sweet, Auntie CP (you've given away some of your true identity, btw, we now know you are Susan Crankypants!). I will be sure to share this loving post with K & R and am glad so say I broke the saying "I love you" taboo with them, they are GREAT about saying it...at least to me! xoxo for Valentine's Day (and every day). But...let's not take this too far. Am lurching in the opposite direction! MK

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    1. Haha - yes, I'm partially revealed.

      Thanks for the kind words and for having such great kids. I do love them!

      Lurching away from you lurching away from me...
      Auntie CP

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  2. Well helloooooo Susie-Sue Cranky!
    Aw, wuv you too, with a cherry on top. Ain't the blogging community fab!! I have two 6 foot males in my house, but sadly they are my son and his friend. Sleepover. Mug that I am. So I am definitely going to crack open that ice cream.
    May I just take this chance to say thank you for your fab comments on my blog. I have laughed out loud, snorted coffee through my nose and whacked the cat off the table.
    XXX

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    1. I look forward to your posts and comments as if you were a friend I could pop in and visit and have some laughs with, SIF. So, yes, the blogging community has been great for introducing me to inspiring and funny people. And you. (HAHAHAHA! I kid, of course. Most certainly INCLUDING you.)

      XOXO (is that different from XXX? I don't want to cross any lines here. In the U.S. it means hug/kiss, but not in a creepy, off-putting way, unless you found me creepy and off-putting, which you might indeed if you met me, so perhaps it was inappropriate. Anyway.)

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    2. Do you know what? I always used to sign off cards and stuff with XOXOXO. My mum used to, so got it from her. Until the sneaky people at Gossip Girl made it their trademark....
      Not that I ever watched Gossip Girl you understand.
      Anyway, the artwork is so cute. I miss having pictures magneted to the fridge. The 13 year old just won't make me lovely pictures any more, despite me buying him some card and a lovely pack of Crayolas, the swine.
      I am up early to put another day in as a builder. Aching all over from yesterday, but The Teenager is off to London today to see his dad (YAY!!!!!), so I am off out tonight. Just the local pub, but a nice change of four walls. Must stop now as this is turning into a diary, meh.
      XOXOXO

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    3. Gossip Girl? What's that?

      - S

      (see what I did there?) (Clever, clever)

      p.s. Enjoy your day off. I had one (1) glass of wine last night to celebrate V-Day and today have a headache. So sad.

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    4. Hey Serena!
      Sadly builder friend has to paint his rental flat. I am alone.BUT! My mum is coming down.EEK.Must look sober. x

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    5. I resisted for hours the urge to call you Blair, but I can resist no longer! Hee hee, silly Gossip Girl. In my defense (pathetic as it may be), I watched it only for about two seasons when I was living with a girlfriend. It was that kind of show.

      Good luck looking sober...

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  3. You gotta love artwork from kids! (Now I see they got their talent from their aunt!)

    It's hard to hug others when you have MS. I always lose my balance and lean on my huggie too much. Hugging with canes is a whole nother story. Holding my can in front of me during a hug at a funeral, a male friend of mine said "Is that your cane, or are you happy to see me?"

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    1. HaHa, Sock! You are another new blogging friend who never fails to make me laugh.

      Thanks about the talent comment. I think. Hmmm.

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  4. Aww... I'd cherish those too. What sweeties!

    As for that cane/hugging thing... hmm... yes, awkward. I tend to drop mine and whack people with it. I pretend it was accidental. ;-)

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    1. Do you hug people and then whack them (accidentally, of course)? That might be slightly confusing for the hug-ee. Or is this reserved for people who hug you against your will (in which case it's perfectly understandable)?

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    2. Usually it tends to be the cane falling on others' feet and stuff like that. But I detest being hugged against my will, especially without warning. The worst are the occasional friends who know I have some kind of pain thing going on in my arms, so they think they'll do me a favor by giving me a sudden shoulder rub without warning. Lovingly meant, but they don't realize it jacks my pain up roughly x10. Hmmm... I guess the cane could come in real handy in those situations.... hmmm....

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    3. Oh, yes, that's the worst! Kind of like when you have a bruise and someone jabs at it: "does it hurt?" Um, YES!

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  5. There are some people I would love to wack when they grab me for an unasked for and unwelcome hug. On other occasions a hug keeps me more or less upright.
    Only furry children here too. Cherish those drawings - they are gold.

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    1. I think we're all on the same page re: unwelcome hugs! I need a whacker of some kind; rearing back looks awkward, but if I could finagle a subtle whack out of a cane, who on earth could get offended?

      Yes, I will cherish them. They are becoming fewer and farther between...

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  6. I think I need to say 'I love you' more often to people...but I am not going to give out unwelcome hugs:)
    precious drawings

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    1. Haha - that's a good compromise, Kim! More "I love you's" and fewer unwelcome hugs.

      Thanks for the nice comment about the drawings. :)

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