Something to dance about.

A bit ago, before the funeral took over my life, I was busy painting my kitchen red. Remember? In doing so I revealed that I collect magnets, while at the same time my friend, Paula (I have her permission to call her friend, thank you very much) was telling us about her own magnet problems.

She teased me with I want to send you a gift... I am a sucker for gifts.

Paula even left me a odd, cryptic instructions to carefully open the package and to read the bag it came in, which made me chuckle because me beloved Holly Kay use to mail me presents like that. Little gifts that required participation. She is the one that wrote me the entire letter from college in sign and co-sign wave on the tear off tabs of computer paper. (Holly, not Paula although I could see Paula doing that too.)

The package arrived this week but with the funeral we didn't get it from the mail box until last night. It was with the same glee of Christmas that both Charley and I sat down at the barstools in the Red Kitchen to open it up, wondering what it was.

I shook it. I smelled it. I made a few wild guesses.

I guessed wisely that it would be poetry magnets for my tacky fridge.

Said it in a my knowing and sultry voice.

Then I unwrapped the brown paper bag as tenderly as I could, telling Charley twice that Paula said to be careful because she wrote something on it. The excitement of seeing someone's handwriting is unbelievable. When I get to know someone by reading their personal blog their "voice" becomes clear but I never get a feel for their handwriting. Handwriting is such a gem to me.

I am not going to share the message because it is MINE! It wasn't put into cyber space and therefore it is mine alone, but it made me feel special and loved. That is the power of words and the beauty of human nature, that we can love one another. That we have it within ourselves to love.

Have I told you what she sent me yet? Other than a package full of love and a demonstration of pure humanity?

The other set of Elvis magnets. For my Red Kitchen because no home is complete without them. Pictures will be forth coming when I hook the camera up at work, the darn UBS ports are not working right at home.

He came complete with Blue Suede Shoes.

But what I really treasure is her handwriting. Kooky huh?