Give 52 Week 48 - We Grow Love

Give 52 Week 48
Cheryl Houston 2016

Starting at that very young ages of 15 months and 29 months year old, my boys spent most first, third and fifth weekends away from me with their dad. They have memories and experiences that I know absolutely nothing about. Through the years they will have mentioned something and I have to question them about it. When did you do that? With Dad.

Melinda came into my boys lives in 2011 when she started dating Andy, and to me, she has been a blessing.

She cares about my boys and I know because they tell me about her and the experiences they've had together. Having another person love your children is something for a mom to be grateful for everyday.

My most recent favorite story is my picky eater, Drew, announces that he wants me to make lasagna. I gave him my questioning look that said ":I've tried to get you to eat lasagna before and you wouldn't. What's changed?" Melinda made it and I liked it! When I told my sweet husband the news he was happy because he likes lasagna and the joke has become, do I need to call Melinda to get her recipe? According to Drew- Yes! Yes you do!

These moments are small seeds of love planted in the hearts of my boys and where we plant love, we grow love and I appreciate Melinda's presence in my boys lives for today and always.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 47 - The Love of Strangers

Give 52 Week 47
Cheryl Houston 2016

This week I'm mailing out my artwork to Hallee Sorenson. You may have heard of her through the power of the internet. Briefly, she had a birthday party last year where no one showed up. Her cousin put a plea out to the internet for people to mail her a card. And the kindness of strangers hit her full force in the form of 50,000+ cards to wish her a happy 19th birthday.

Her mom and sister have been going through all the mail for her as it has been quite overwhelming for Hallee.

We humans are sometimes kinder as strangers than we are as family members and friends.

I hope that my one more piece of mail isn't adding a burden to her family. I'm sure their love for Hallee is more than enough to make up for the missing party guests.

Love - it truly is all we need. Be the kind of love you want to receive and share your love not only with your family and friends but take time out of your day to share your love with strangers.

A smile is all it takes.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 46 - Love One Another

Give 52 Week 46
Cheryl Houston 2016

Last June 26th, Margaret married Greg.

I knew I wasn't going to give them a gift right away but instead, because Emily Post or which ever etiquette expert said, you can give a wedding gift up to a year after the happy couple weds.

Since Margaret and Greg already had their home established, I thought I would wait for all the excitement to settle down and then give my gift on their anniversary therefore standing out as special because it's all about me! :) Not really. It's not about me at all.

This quest is all about being grateful and spreading love. I'm grateful for the laughs and friendship that I share with Margaret. And for the occasional bag of peach rings she sends up.

I wish nothing but unconditional and unending love for Margaret and Greg. Happy Anniversary you two!

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 45 - One Heart At A Time

Give 52 Week 45
Cheryl Houston Art 2016

I was having dinner with Claudia last year and she had returned from spending time in Florida. She was telling me about an artist, Mari-Etta Stoner. 

Claudia had seen all of these hearts all over the popping up all over town and her curious self asked "What is going on with all of these hearts?" Being the tenacious person Claudia is she tracked down the artist, got in touch with her, met her and even went back to her magical cottage of heart making. 

Mari-Etta makes hearts out of plywood and installs them around her community to hopefully help us connect with each other one heart at a time. Messages of love. Anyone that knows me knows that during my Year of Love in 2011 I was very drawn to hearts. The universal symbol of Love. 

And who doesn't need more of it? 

I was really touched by Claudia's story and had hoped to be able to go out to Florida to deliver this piece in person but life circumstances and time just aren't falling in place for me to be able to make that happen. But that's okay- US Mail to the rescue. 

Mari-Etta's hearts became so popular that people began requesting them. And she's still making them and sharing them today. Amazing. 

Friends, I know there's a lot of turmoil going on in our world but I believe that there's a lot more love and generosity going on if you choose to see it. If you don't see it, maybe you need to give it. Share your love - one person at a time. One heart at a time.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 38 - My Heart is with You

Give 52 Week 38
Cheryl Houston 2016

When I think of Misty I think of laughter, smiles and a genuine love. This lady will love you with all her might and her laughter will bring you joy.

She's so in love with her family. Her husband, Robert and three of the most beautiful daughters a momma can be blessed with: Azlynn, Alanah, and Ava. Seriously! Robert's going to have to beat the boys away with those three cuties.

I miss seeing my friend, Misty but my heart is always with her.

Now, the red bird in this drawing symbolizes something else. When Misty sees a red bird she remembers her grandmother and I wanted her to have a piece of that in her home. So now, maybe she'll think of me too and know that she is loved - not just by her family but by all of the people touched by Misty's presence.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 - Weeks 34, 35 & 36 My Mother's Sisters

Give 52 Week 34
Cheryl Houston 2016

 My mother is one of 7 siblings. She was born right in the middle. She has three younger sisters: Carol, Cynthia and Trish. When they're all together you will most likely find them playing a game of Scabble.

Growing up I always looked forward to the holidays when they would travel to my grandparents house in Refugio because they were fun to be around. There was always some kind of game being played and it was fun.

I remember going to my Aunt Cynthia's house in the summer. She lived in San Marcos and we would ride our bikes all over town and then go float down the river.

I spent a lot time with my Aunt Carol because she would let me tag along with them if they were headed to my uncle's parents house in the next town and I would go see them in the summer.

Give 52 Week 35
Cheryl Houston 2016

My Aunt Trish has the best stories about us as kids. My family went to Carlsbad Cavern for our family vacation when I was 3 or 4. Well, at 3 or 4 Carlsbad Cavern scared the hell out of me. My Aunt Trish carried me the whole way down and the whole the way back up!

Today, my mom and her sisters have a weekly conference phone call to keep in touch with each other. They get together often and we all meet for an annual family reunion.

Give 52 Week 36
Cheryl Houston 2016

These ladies had a direct hand in shaping my childhood and my dreams and their laughter and fun is a memory I will always cherish.

This is my gift. I give it to you

Give 52, Week 32 - Beautiful, Crazy Kind of Good

Give 52, Week 32
Cheryl Houston 2016

Week 32 was mailed out yesterday to another one of my friends that I grew up, Angie Graves.

Who is Angie?

Angie is the beautiful, crazy kind of good presence in the room and in your life. She has this big, bold smile and laugh that is infectious and she is full of overflowing goodness.

When Angie introduced me to her boyfriend (now husband) Tony, she also introduced me to Cory Morrow's song, Brand New Me. It stuck with me. I love that song. It's catchy and upbeat talking about how a person can bring you light and happiness. One of the lines from the songs goes:

You make love feel like it should
It's a beautiful, crazy kind of good

And, that's how love should feel, right? I can't listen to that song and not think about Angie.

I was so happy for Angie when she introduced me to Tony and I love following along with their family events on Facebook. Their lives are filled with family and a bunch of grandchildren and I can see how those kiddos fill them with life. I love it.

Angie is also a darn good photographer. She's always taking pictures. She should publish a book with her photos. Funny, beautiful Angie, I love you!

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 27 - Teacher's Pet

 

Give 52 Week 27
Cheryl Houston 2016

Teachers. They're a special breed of people. They take in our children no matter how bratty or stubborn and the shower them with knowledge and love. We all have at least one teacher that holds a special place in our hearts.

And then, when you have children of your own, you get to have a favorite teacher that is teaching your your children! That teacher for me is Nancy Bingham. She was both Drew and JB's second grade teacher. Even though my boys are now in the 8th and 9th grade, I still think of Nancy often. I have a picture of her and my boys from one field day that shows up on my work computer screen slide show. 

I once asked JB, "Who's the smartest mom you know?" And instead of answering right away like he should have he had to take a moment to think about it. Seriously, kid? And then he thoughtfully answered, "Well, I think the smartest mom I know is Mrs. Bingham because she's a mom and a teacher." 

My heart smiled. 

I hope any teacher that may read this knows this: You are doing a great job! You are touching the lives of so many children! You are making a positive impact on this world! We need you! We love you! 

That's you, Nancy Bingham!

Speaking of teachers. Those flowers are inspired by an art teacher of mine, Lynn Whipple. Her art is amazing just like her.

Telling you people. Teachers rock!

This is my gift. I give it to you!

Give 52 Week 26 - The Gaines'

Give 52 Week 26
Cheryl Houston 2016

Every week we watch this little show called Fixer Upper. It features a couple and their family from Waco, Texas- Chip and Joanna Gaines. Maybe you've heard of them.

Ever since we started watching, I've been saying we just need to open that kitchen wall up because that's what Joanna does in her designs.

The Gaines' make over these really sad houses into a family's dream home. Truly beautiful. Like it makes you jealous. Or maybe it's just me.

But more than the great work they do remodeling homes, they have such a sense of love and playfulness to them. You can tell they really love each other and that the really love their kids. And, they really love making these homes special for the owners.

We're getting ready to watch tonight as I type this!

I also saw a link on Facebook to Joanna's spiritual story and it left an impression on me. Go Google it.

I just wanted to send some flowers to Chip and Joanna because they come into our home each week and make us happy. And though our home doesn't look like her model homes, I hope we can still fill it with just as much love.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 23 - Cousin Love

The memories I have of me and my cousin, Julie growing up together are priceless.

Julie is a couple years younger than me and as girls we spent a lot of time together. I loved the holidays when her and her family would travel from the Houston area to my grandparents house. I had a perfectly good bed at home but I wouldn't be happy unless I got to stay with my cousins at my grandparents house. And when they went over to their other grandparents house a town away, I was lucky enough to get to go with them.

As we grew into teens, when Julie was in town we would hit the streets and drive and drive and drive. There wasn't texting or email when we grew up! We had to use snail mail! Gasp!

I would go and stay with her and her family for a week in the summer and we would go play putt putt golf and go to the movies and to Astro World.

Julie has had an interesting life. Her and her husband lived in Santiago, Chile for several years. All but her first born were born in Chile. They were there on a Christian Mission. Her family is amazing.
Julie lives about an hour away from me now and my hope is that we can get together this coming summer around the pool with all the kids. Come to Euless, Julie!

I wanted to send Julie a piece of artwork because of the beautiful influence she has had on my life.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 16 - Sweet Ball of Smiles

Give 52 Week 16
Cheryl Houston 2015

I have found myself, my friends and my family in a season of life where our parents are aging and we're starting to lose them. It's a sad season but not an unexpected one. No one lives forever but we'll take as much time as granted.

My sister-in-law, Lori, lost her sweet mom, Myra, last Saturday evening so I wanted to share something with her to let her know her mom will always be remembered and loved.

Lori is this bubbly, curly, blonde hair, sweet ball of smiles that makes me laugh. We can have deep conversations about life or laugh over taste tests to see if we can actually taste the difference between fat free or full fat whip cream. I just knew for sure I would be able to taste the difference but no, I could not.

She's an encouraging coach to hundreds, a wonderful wife to my brother, a super mom to my niece and nephew, and I know her mom and dad think she's the best daughter in the world.

I'm looking forward to seeing her and my family today.

Happy Thanksgiving.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 11 - An Interesting Justice

Give 52 Week 11
Cheryl Houston 2015

Can I be completely honest with you?

Well, you can't stop me so I will proceed with my truth. The last couple of weeks have been emotionally challenging.  I let circumstances and others hurt my feelings and make me angry. These are small things. But, a lot of small things that I let add up and add up and then become very heavy.

In the grand scheme of my life- life is good. All is well and I have all I need but it doesn't make these small things any less hurtful and heartbreaking and very heavy to carry around. Is a little bit of decency and consideration too much to ask? Is a little bit of fairness and justice too much to ask? Cheryl, put them down! "Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky!" - Dr. Seuss.

These challenges are showing up in my creativity as well. The saying, "Many are called, but few are chosen" rang through my head as I finished yet another less than encouraging piece of artwork. I have people picked out that I know I want to include in this project but I don't have a piece of artwork that I want to send them or I have a future date set for them. So here sits week eleven- distressed.

On Saturday evening, Chris and watched a Football Life: Alan Page.

He was a great football player- I'm told one of the greatest defensive linemen to play the game - but what I got from the show is that he is a great man. One that other men should aspire to be. While he played in the NFL, he attended The University of Minnesota Law School. He was elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1992- the first African-American to serve on that court and served on it until his 70th birthday when the law states he must retire.

"What an interesting, intelligent and caring man this is," I thought. How encouraging his life is.

He likes Dr. Seuss and has been known to quote him. He and his daughter co-wrote a children's book, Alan and his Perfectly Pointy Impossibly Perpendicular Pinky. And he does have a perpendicular pinky!

He played the tuba in school and he goes out and plays it at the corner of Knox and Douglas during the Twin Cities Marathon route to encourage runners on their race. I'm not sure he's bursting out any tunes but enthusiastically belting out notes.

He feeds the park dogs treats and he knows all their names. And they know him.

He and his wife Diane founded the Page Education Foundation in 1988 where they provide financial and mentoring assistance to students of color to pursue post-secondary education.

Justice Page and his wife don't need a piece of artwork from me but honestly watching his story on Saturday was one of the brightest spots of my week and it just feels right. So...

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 - Week 3: Love

Love for Arielle Ford
Give 52 - Week 3
Cheryl Houston 2015

Late in 2010, I found myself in another failed relationship and honestly, at that time I was shaking my head, thinking what is wrong with me? I wanted and needed to take a good long look at myself and own up my part of the failures of these past relationships. What was I doing wrong? And, believe me, I was doing plenty of things wrong.

I had misguided thoughts and ideas and perceptions and I was holding on to these old agreements I didn't even know I had and so much more.

I named 2011 my year the Year of Love and the only thing I knew to do was dive into any relationship advice I could find. If it was about relationships and dating, I was reading it. But, I was also learning more about myself.

I found Arielle Ford and her book Soulmate Secret.

Friends, if you are looking for love and find yourself struggling, please do yourself a favor and pick up Arielle's book. Read it with an open mind and an open heart. One of my favorite bits of advice from her book is this: It's not your job to know when you will meet your soulmate. It's your job to be ready.

Are you ready? Because, I was ready. I wanted nothing more than to be able to meet someone I could share my love with on a daily basis. I followed her advice. I listened in on her Soulmate Summit featuring relationship experts. I even got to go see her here in Dallas at an event she held. And, I held out faith that God (whoever God was) and the Universe were preparing me for someone and preparing someone for me.

And, guess what! He found me! We found each other. Chris Houston is the love of my life and I don't know if I would have been open to receiving his love if I hadn't have embraced the teachings of Arielle Ford.

My heart is so grateful that her words found their way into my heart and my world. Even today as I continue to work on my relationship with my husband, her wisdom has made all the difference in my life and my relationship with him.

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Let Love Grow

Let Love Grow - Ink drawing by Cheryl Houston 2015 ©
This image has been altered in Photoshop.

Love & Giving

Love grows by giving.

The love we give away 

is the only love we keep.

                                                   -Elbert Hubbard