I spot the heart on this cactus everyday when I walk my puppies.

I've never been one for fancy words.  Usually I'm a pretty straightforward communicator.  I do admire people, like my wonderful daughter, who can write her thoughts in such a way on a birthday or special occasion card that I don't know whether to cry, smile, or just be really proud of her.  Usually I just put "I Love You," and most of the time the "Love" is replaced with a heart. 

My husband and my son's girlfriend are extremely good at using quotes to express their feelings.  Again, I am envious.  I couldn't even decide on a quote to add to the bottom of my email when I was teaching.  I knew it would be very inspirational to others to see a well-placed sentiment every time we communicated, but was always tempted to include something a little off-color or just plain funny - you know like when you are sitting in a quiet church and wonder what it would be like to yell out loud?

Throughout my life I have adopted words from others that were inspirational or that I have thought about more than simply in passing.  I had "Love Bears All Things" engraved on my husband's wedding ring.  One of my favorites was a quote from Mr. Rogers that I found engraved on a silver bracelet " You can never go down the drain."  I thought it was very existential. 

Recently I have come across a few other phrases that I think are at the least, clever.  For example, Shel Silverstein wrote at the end of his poem,  Listen to the Mustn'ts, "Anything can happen child, anything can be."  I love to embroidery it on little girl smocks. 

This quote from Winnie the Pooh is so juvenille, yet says what we all feel: 

If you live to be 100,

I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day,

So I never have to live without you.

If this is the extent of my interest in quotes, it might not surprise you that I did not know that Mother Teresa had said the following:

Not all of us can do great things,

But we can do small things with great love.

Instead of applying this to something as obvious as acts of love or kindness, my warped brain went to thinking about "small things."  Like my little pug, Bennie or several small kitschy pieces in our home that are meaningful.  Thus, it's the small things...

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitly the most important."

Arthur Conan Doyle - The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes