Magical Moment 246, "The First Scuff is the Deepest"

I remember that new car feeling. It was the summer of 2005 and I had just purchased my dream car, a Hyundai Santé Fe. The color, mocha frost. I bought it brand new with my own money and conducted all the research, bargaining, and haggling by myself. I still remember the pride I felt driving it, in its immaculate condition and new car smell. But that exhilarating feeling was crushed on that fateful day of the very first door ding.

I was reminded of that feeling the other day, vacuuming around my 11-month-old May Berlin piano. I regularly polish, tune, and baby it with great care. But I’ve discovered…scuffmarks. Just a few very light ones where my music binder brushes the ledge as I open and close it in a hurry. It’s hard to accept, but I knew that day would come eventually.

So what do I do now that the “newness” has worn off? I can either let it fall further into disrepair, or just work that much harder to keep it safe. I suppose it’s like any relationship. Everything evolves and changes. I think it’s up to us to decide whether that’s for the better or worse.

My car has a few more scuffs, scratches, and dings on it (stains, smells, gashes, paint chips...), but it still runs like a dream with over 105,000 miles on it. I take it in for regular maintenance because I love the thing. In return, it has taken me safely across the country so many times I’ve lost count. I can imagine my piano will take a beating over the years, but that won’t keep me from attentively caring for it.

All of my relationships - marriage, friendships, and professional - go through ups and downs. It could be that I’ve lost touch, experienced hurt feelings, or had a flat out disagreement. Some are worse than others. But after that first “scuff,” the one you think you can’t get past and has tainted the relationship forever, what will you do? Let it go by the wayside and brush it off as damaged, or fight to maintain it? If it’s real, important, and special, I will fight for it, and I hope others feel the same way about their relationship with me. I can’t imagine what I would do without my car, my piano, or my relationships.

Me, Duchess, and my car leaving on my first long trip from Nebraska to Fort Bliss, TX

Me and my new piano - look how shiny

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-

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