The Men I Love

I thought that, since I feel so happy and beautiful today, I would dedicate this post to the men I love.

There aren't very many of them, but the ones I have are very, very special, much as a rare object is infinitely more precious than a common one. I will start with the man I've known the longest and progress from there.

My daddy is first among the men I love. He is like an orange: his peel is thick and sharp tasting, and it leaves a bitter residue on your hands when you try to break it. But inside he is full of zest and snap, lively and strong. My daddy is difficult to get to know, but when you know him you understand that he is almost too special to be real. He's too much for this world - too smart, too funny, and far too compassionate. It causes him to struggle to find his place, or to reconcile himself to never finding his place.

I love you, Daddy. I don't say it often enough. I hope you know; I will try to tell you more often.

My grandfather is the second man I love, and I haven't known him all that long. Both of my blood grandfathers have passed away, but my maternal step-grandfather (that's a mouthful) is a wonderful man who makes my grandmother very, very happy. What more can you ask than that? He is funny and mischvievous, with a big heart and a bigger sense of right and wrong. He tells tall tales and makes me laugh and bicker and feel alive. He struggles too, I think, to adjust to the notion that the world is changing and that he is changing.

I love you, Grandpa. I hope you know that every time I hug you, that's why.

The last man I love I've known the shortest time of all. I am a person who falls in and out of love easily, but has never, ever, fallen in Love. Those of you who know me, or who read this blog, (or both), may have recognized the signs. This isn't the right time or place to confirm or deny that. I have always felt that there was one person out there for me; it's a little cliche and a little frightening, to think of having only one match out of 7 billion people. I don't know very many of those 7 billion people, but of the ones I do know, this man is the only one I've met that I could Love. And that is an incredible thing.

(You know who you are, so there's no need for me to announce it to the world. I want to tell you first.)

So now you know the three men I love. I would give them sunshine and laughter and happiness every day, forever, if I could. I would wrestle sharks, eat cabbage, and face catepillers for them.

This is a song for those men. It applies to you all, one way or another.
Stealing Cinderella

WolfGrrl