"Gift From the Sea"

Every summer, I re-read Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift From the Sea," especially this year's beautiful 50th anniversary edition. Last night, I turned off the computer early for some me-time and that always includes time with a good book. Since we're in wedding season, I know that a lot of you are looking for great material for your vows -- and even if you're not, you're still going to love this -- so I thought I'd share one of my favorite passages from the book:

"I believe there is...an opportunity for the best relationship of all: not a limited, mutually exclusive one...and not a functional, dependent one...but the meeting of two whole fully developed people as persons." She then goes on to credit the Scottish philosopher MacMurry with: "Personal relationships have no ulterior motive. They are not based on particular interests. They do not serve partial and limited ends. Their value lies entirely in themselves and for the same reason transcends all other values. And that is because they are relations of persons as persons." She adds the German poet Rilke's "The love that consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other."

I love that imagery, the two wholes touching and greeting each other. The essence of a healthy relationship and a very real thing to promise one another.

Today is a writing day -- I've had the great fortune of speaking with so many amazing professionals for my article. I'm particularly taken with the pearl experts at www.thepearloutlet.com, and with Laura Lee whose handbags are at www.lauraleedesigns.com, among many others whose sites will be in the article. They may work with pearls and with beads, with crystal and with fabric and thread, but they've built their lives around a creative pursuit, things of beauty.

And speaking of things of beauty, I've framed a piece of artwork that Joe made me, and I've created a special platform for the beautiful red shoes he surprised me with -- there's no more room on the rack. It's amazing to see a physical representation of how much color and beauty he brings to my life. Art, music, laughter, the irrepressible comfort of being folded into his chest and surrounded by those arms, lifted and carried to a safer spot...two whole people who protect and touch and greet each other.

So now it's time to dive into this article, to put it together like a puzzle: my text and trend reports in outline form first, then the stats from industry surveys, then the quotes from the experts, sidebars, resources and finally call-outs (those quotes in magazine stories that are printed in larger type in colored boxes on the page) and notes on where graphics should go. I have good stuff to share...