Prayer for friends and loved ones:

We thank You, Lord, for friends and loved ones who love us,
who share our sorrows,
who bear our pain,
laugh with us in celebration,
who need us as we need them,
& who give us the freedom to be ourselves.
Bless them with health, happiness, wholeness, life, & love
today & beyond.
Amen.




































I couldn't help but feel really thankful for getting a ton of presents this Christmas 2011.
Each present, I honestly love.
And on each was attached the antithesis of what our modern-day relationships have been reduced to
 (a series of Facebook status updates and 140-character tweets)
~ the handwritten note.

I write this now, surrounded by these presents, each of which appeals to a facet of my personality and is able to capture
 my being child-at-heart sometimes,
my passion for eating,
my passion for learning how to cook,
my love for scents,
my love for writing,
my love for reading,
and my love of beautiful things for the home.

To all those who had me and my family on their lists this year,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
To quote one note I received,
"Give and it shall be given back unto you."

Love and light,
SAL ♥