Check Yes or No

George Straight - Check Yes or No Lyrics

It started way back in third grade.
I used to sit beside Emmylou Hayes
A pink dress, a matching bow, and her pony tail.
She kissed me on the school bus, but told me not to tell.

Next day I chased her round the playground
Across the monkey bars, to the merry-go-round
And Emmylou got caught passing me a note
Before the teacher took it, I read what she wrote.

Chorus:
Do you love me, do you wanna be my friend?
And if you do, well then don't be afraid to take me by the hand
If you want to.
I think this is how love goes, check yes or no.

Now were grown up and shes my wife.
Still like two kids with stars in our eyes.
Ain't much changed, I still chase Emmylou.
Up and down the hall, around the bed in our room.

Last night I took her out in a white limousine
Twenty years later, she still gets to me
Cant believe its been that long ago.
When we got started with just a little note.

Repeat chorus

Evening Ritual

I have an evening ritual...not many people know about it....but it it true bliss. Almost every night, after dinner, I will retreat to the deck that overlooks the pool, have a glass of Diet Dew and read. I enjoy the peace and quiet, the voices from the community resonating below and the cool breeze that often accompanies each evening. I've had this ritual for about two years now. Its likely something I will never give up. Its down time...for me...for my brain. Its a time to reflect on the day and the gear up for any challenges that tomorrow may bring; although I admit to rarely thinking about tomorrow while I'm sitting there in my comfortable teak chair with my feet propped up.

I'm currently enjoying a book called "In an Instant" -- by Bob and Lee Woodruff. I'd recommend this book to anyone. Its a great reflection on how love should really be...uncompromising and without judgment. I've started to gather a stack of books. I'm prepared for the California winter season. My stack includes some light-hearted reads intertwined with some heavy topics that will likely keep me awake a few nights in the coming months.

Reading is one of those things I despised as a child. Mom says we went to the library almost every day when I was young but from about 8 until 25, I don't think you could have paid me to read for pleasure. When I turned 25 and rode the Metro in Washington DC, the commute was so long that I needed something to take my mind off the 45 minute ride each way. My co-worker at the time recommended reading. He handed me a Patricia Cornwell book and suggested I at least give it a try. I was immediately addicted. Not to just the writing style of Patricia Cornwell, but to the notion that I could step effortlessly into another world in just seconds. I could completely step out of the present and be transcended into the worlds of other people. Some, unfortunately, ended too soon and I would be left longing for more pages, for the story to continue...but it never did. I've read some horrible books, but most I admit to just tossing to the side if they don't capture my attention in the first few chapters.

While reading was something my mom and I shared as a child. It is now something my Dad and I share. I often hand off my books to Dad and he will then hand them off to someone else, or to the library, when he is finished. Winter in Ohio means reading. Now, with Mom having retired, I am getting emails from her on a weekly basis of the new books she is reading and requesting from the library. I look forward to hearing about her latest finds and I am often adding them to my list of "must reads."

One of the best things my parents could have ever given me was the love of reading....even if it did take about 20 years to return.