HELLO BEAUTIFUL!

 

A series of essays….

‘JACKIE JASMINE’ WATCHED OVER BY AN ANGEL

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Once upon a time, a dear lady, fellow writer (she has published three books), and friend lived near us in a small subdivision  located a few miles southeast of downtown Orlando, Florida. Now, this person was and is very special, not only to me, but to everyone who knows her. She has a way of making you feel important and loved. Just ask the many students whom she has taught as first graders throughout her long history as educator, mentor, and friend within the Orlando Public School System.

It was our good fortune to have built a home directly across the street from Janice and her husband, Bill, at approximately the same time. Dan and I were slightly ahead of them (a matter of, maybe, four weeks) and the style of their home was the same as what we’d chosen out of the five or six models we had to pick from according to the builder’s architectural designs.

The year was 1999. We closed on our house in September of that year and Janice and Bill closed on theirs soon afterward. Christmas was exceptionally exciting for us because it meant that Dan and I could, finally, secure our stored possessions following two years of visitation rights within their climate controlled storage cubical located on Semoran Blvd..

Not long after the first of the year, 2000, most of our moving dust had settled and the world, as we knew it, failed to come to an end over the hyped-up fears of the Millennium Bug, Y2K, when all computers would be utilizing incorrect data and Armageddon seemed to be a foregone conclusion. How naive we were (are). Did we not understand that this was the beginning of the latest rash of conspiracy theories that would, eventually, consume all of us, one way or another, in the years to follow?

We survived. Life went on. One day, after emptying what I hoped would be the final moving box, I went out to the mailbox at the end of the drive and formally met Janice. Introductions behind us, we must have stood at the end of our driveways talking away under the Florida sun for, at least, an hour. I think we both understood by this time that our lives would be intertwined from that moment on.

HELLO BEAUTIFUL!
CERTAINLY GLAD TO KNOW YOU.

Janice is a feminist and published author who uses her writing forum to help inform women of the choices they have with regards to staying in or leaving unhealthy relationships.  Her two works of fiction are based upon a woman who did decide to leave an abusive relationship and spend a prodigious amount of time running from her abuser, as well as the truth about her marriage. So many women try to second guess their abuser’s motives and convince themselves of either their own guilt or that they misunderstood the abuser’s intentions altogether.

Several months after our friendship grew and we had a few luncheon outings under our belts, Janice and I sat in my family room sipping a cool drink and singing the praises of strong women. I think that’s when the uncomplicated salutation “Hey, Beautiful!” initially came into play. “After all,” she said, “as women, we are all Beautiful in our own right.” From that moment on it has always been “Hello, Beautiful,” or “Hey, Beautiful,” or “How are you, Beautiful?” followed by the warmest hug — the kind you never want to end because you know that your own strength is being charged by the strength found within one another.

One weekend, after a trip to our favorite nursery, Lucas Nursery in Oviedo, I brought home what I would lovingly call a jasmine twig right out of a Charley Brown made for television movie. I potted it, along with great hopes and aspirations of survival, in a French urn and placed it along the backyard fence. Every season (Yes, we have seasons in Florida!) my little jasmine hung in there, but often wore less leaves than she began with. One season she sprouted several inches and her coat of leaves multiplied. That’s when she was transferred to a large blue pot given to me for Mother’s Day. Suddenly, she was luxuriating in a new world of incredible space; she was very happy.

MY THRIVING JASMINE WAS HAPPY
LIVING IN THE BIG BLUE POT

She was Beautiful! My jasmine was sassy, strong, and thriving. Several times a year she would produce the sweetest testament to her glorious being by producing small, white blossoms that covered her in a sweet, gentle cape, comparable to the queen that she had become. She must have enjoyed her habitat alongside the pool enclosure, close to the house. That’s where she grew for over twelve years and became a proper jasmine tree.

I would often tease Janice when she’d stop over for a chat and say that my Beautiful tree was going to be hers one day after Dan and I move back to Michigan. She stubbornly refused to see any truth in that happening and always laughed the thought away. After nineteen years of neighborly love and support, Janice’s smile waned when she learned of our planned departure. Knowing that our five, Beautiful grandchildren resided at the other side of our journey, she knew it was a wise decision, but didn’t like losing us as neighbors after so many years. 

My conversation went something like this, “Hello, Beautiful! My tree needs a good home. I wouldn’t trust her with anyone else but you….” 

Through tears of sadness because of our move and tears of laughter watching Dan and Bill extract my glorious tree from her home in the large, blue pot and carry her across the street together, Janice and I watched as she made it to her new home. Bill had dug a large hole right smack in the middle of their backyard. The guys gently placed her down into its dark depths, filled in the space around her roots, and tamped down the soil around her base. She looked happy but I had no idea if she would continue to thrive after such a major change in her life.

The only thing I asked of Janice was if she would send me a picture of the Beautiful jasmine tree every now and then. She agreed. Last week my phone dinged indicating a new text message that read, “Hey Beautiful! Hope all is well, and it’s finally warm up there! 🤞🏾 Jackie Jasmine is in full bloom! 👏🏾🙂” 

Did I mention that she lovingly named the jasmine tree after me? Thank you, Beautiful, for letting her spread her wings and do what she has to do in order to survive and thrive.

Author’s Note: Janice Cummings is an inspirational author, has written poetry, songs, and short stories. Love on the Run and A Love Proclaimed are her first two novels from the acclaimed High-Top Sneaker Series. You can find Janice at

high-topsneakers.com.

Courtesy of Bill Crooms

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

CHEERS TO THE GOOD LIFE!

 

A series of essays….

FRESH DINNER INGREDIENTS

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Recently, I composed a poem called The Good Life that is based on the understanding and kindness of the contemporary poet, Diana Goetsch. The first stanza sums up the richness of life for me in three lines:

Invite the people you love into your home. Sit with them. 

Take in the sound of clinking glasses and plates. 

You’ll truly feel you are living the good life.

A good friend once commented on my Facebook post by saying she thought I was a good ‘chef.’ I was flattered, of course, even though payment for my cooking has never hit the books, as far as I know. I take that back. Once, a long time ago, a lady had eaten my chicken with Béchamel sauce filled French crêpes I’d made for a luncheon at Dusty’s English Inn and inquired if I happened to do catering. I did not cater, but we worked out a deal including quantity and price and I met her in a Meijer parking lot in Lansing and exchanged ‘the goods’ out of the trunk of my car. Quite a clandestine operation, don’t you think? 

My point, however, is that the first thing I thought of regarding my friend’s FB comment was how much I simply enjoy — feeding people. This is my true passion. Catching satisfied smiles on faces after the first few bites or having someone ask me for the recipe are grand compliments for such enjoyable work. 

Inviting family and friends over to partake of a good home cooked meal is very satisfying. Doing so says some important things about us: my home truly is your home, your company is very much enjoyed and appreciated, and, while you’re here, let’s eat! To fill the belly is to fill the heart and soul of everyone we cook for. There’s so much joy in making people feel welcome, conversational, happy, and nourished.

There are clear benefits for everyone here and taking the time to sit and talk with those you love and enjoying hanging out with is a priority. In a less stressful and more simple life, we might call this act sitting down at the family table and having dinner together; sharing insights about the day’s activities as we make time to talk, if only for a little while.

A LITTLE “CHEER” BETWEEN GOOD FRIENDS!

“Sláinte!” - “Cin! Cin!” - “Salud!” - “Prost!” - “Santé!” - “Yamas!” - “Cheers!”

I enjoy the sound of clinking glasses and hearing people converse while eating utensils reverberate around the room and echo the sounds of food lovingly passed around the table. The clinking of glasses might mean sharing a toast to good health, friendship, a new job, or the birth of a baby. Walking the small side streets of any large city around dinner time, especially during the warmer months with apartment windows opened to the fresh air, provides these amazing sounds for me. It’s interesting to imagine what delicious food is on each table and how many people are partaking of a simple, family meal as I follow the golden light pouring out of screened windows.

The good life implies a wealthy, luxurious way of living. Let’s explore the meaning of the words wealthy and luxurious in more terms than just having bucket loads of money and lavishly spending it on a decadent lifestyle of comfort and self-indulgence. Having a plentiful supply of a particularly desirable thing might serve us well in this case; in terms of information, knowledge, experience — these would be positive assets for anyone. Add to this list family, friendships, love, and filling your home with as many books as your heart desires. Considering the latter, I am a very wealthy person, indeed!

Living in the lap of luxury is all relative, determined by different people having different view-points while looking at the same thing. On one hand, a single, working Mom of (let’s say) three might come home to an apartment filled with laughter and joy comprised of the most important people in her life, her family. On the other hand, one might have people on their payroll doing their bidding, however, the tower of gold or beachfront property may not contain a modicum of respect or love no matter how much money one may have in his battered, ancestral coffer. Again, it’s all relative.

DINNER MADE FROM THE FRESH
INGREDIENTS FROM ABOVE

For myself, the good life is one of simple but meaningful pleasures. Good living at its best! This includes being kind to others, helping those in need, taking care of yourself through healthy eating and movement, sharing your life with a beloved pet, and traveling as much as possible in order to learn to accept other people and customs, new places and climates. And, placing a smile on your face can help work out some of the kinks that may obstruct your intended headway.

Love your life completely, to the core. Never take a single day for granted. Yesterdays are gone. Tomorrows are yet to be. Live and love in the moment with all of the gusto you can possibly muster! Help feed the world with positivity and that optimism will help nourish you and those you love for the rest of your lives.

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

SPIEGEL CATALOG DREAMING

 

A series of essays….

I WISH I HAD SAVED ONE OF THESE VINTAGE CATALOGS!

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

She was inclined to use her spare time and energy this morning to do a load of linens in the stackable washer and dryer and then make-up their bed in clean sheets and coverlet. He always loved climbing into a newly made bed, placing his left arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her close to his chest to snuggle as they drifted off to sleep. This was a blissful habit they had come to perfect after their many years together.

Tugging at the corners of the fitted sheet was always such a chore. Once done, she neatly flounced the top sheet over it, wrong side up, as her mother taught her, in order to fold back the top of the sheet enough to expose the right side of the decorative trim. Then stretch, tuck, and mitre corners and prepare to cover it all with the Ralph Lauren comforter that never seemed to age after all of this time. 

As she shifted the abstract florals of blue, sand, pale green, chocolate brown, with a small touch of pink and coral to fit neatly on all sides, she ran her hand over the smooth material as a final gesture of contentment, a job well done. Just then, the tips of her fingers on the right hand touched an unexpected snag; a slight rip on one of the filled channels running lengthwise down the cozy comforter. 

Looking closer, she found the one inch flaw that, when gently lifted, exposed the cotton batting inside. She thought, well, this was certainly a first and just when she’d been reminiscing about its apparent longevity. 

Initially, she saw it in the Spiegel Catalog all gloriously muted and beautiful alongside its matching pillow shams, cotton sheets, and dust ruffle. Being a Ralph Lauren creation made it more expensive than most of the other bedding sets she saw but, having an eye for color and quality, she was more than happy to pay for something she felt would last through time, as well as numerous washings. 

MY RALPH LAUREN VINTAGE CLASSIC

The Spiegel experience was a brilliant way to introduce woman from all walks of life and ages to stylish products while in the comfort of their own homes. From home furnishings to the latest clothing trends, this catalog brought everything to the fashionable shopper who wanted it all and each glossy page was a tribute to that cause. Visualize this item in your living room, in your kitchen, on your beautiful queen size bed. And, she did!

The majority of experts have agreed that items over 50 years old but less than 100 years old can be called vintage or collectable, but not antique. Old, but not that old. Now, nearly fifty years later, a small rip attributed to age, flawed the comforter that shared the main bedroom of each and every home they had lived in since their marriage began. So, we are a ‘vintage’ couple, she mused. Are our own flaws beginning to show, as well? She preferred to believe that the patina of older age represented a life well lived; the healthy cumulative years of child bearing, child raising, working various jobs, entertaining family and friends, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and crying at both daughter’s weddings with the anticipation of grandchildren in the future…would never show as flaws, only joy.

Even though she knew this small rip could be mended, the certainty of more rips loomed heavily in the future. She was a realist, after all. Nothing stayed young or new, forever. Dealing with the aging process was more appealing than allowing it to take-over her life and depress her in the long run. She smiled at the philosophy that if something becomes threadbare or shows signs of age, deal with it directly instead of allowing it to drive you crazy. Life is way too short for that.

Securing her soft-sided sewing kit from the linen closet, she proceeded to assess the situation carefully before deciding on which method to use to repair the tear. After all, if she successfully repaired this tiny flaw today, the precious vintage quilt might become an antique one day. Perhaps it would be passed down to their grandchildren and great grandchildren with more memories to be stuffed deep inside of it like the soft cotton now exposed after nearly fifty years of marriage and too many washings to count.

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved