Happy New Year !

It's the first day of 2009.

And, as I sit on the sofa, watching the Nebraska and Clemson game while my husband is sitting in a deer stand on the last night of this year's deer season, Xena and Blaze, our dogs, lying at my feet and a quail soup experiment on the stove, I realize something...

I am just surrounded by love here. I have never felt so loved. And, I'm happy.

This afternoon, I opened the French doors and went to sit on the porch, right outside our den where my husband was talking to his real estate agent in North Carolina and his Cuban buddy in Miami. It was sunny and calm -- Blaze, our pound puppy, half Rottweiler, half Burmese Mountain dog, saddled up to me, all 110 lbs of him ,and put his head on my leg like a little lap dog. I felt the warmth of the sun on my face, the rhythm of Blaze's breath on my knee, and listened to my husband's laugh from inside, and that's when it hit me. I am completely, supremely, totally happy. I am content.

Last night, I had another realization...

Landon and I went to our next door neighbor's New Year's Eve party -- I was charged with bringing a plate of hors d'oeuvres. You should have seen me walking down our dirt driveway, with no lights on, alone, under a tapestry of stars, holding a tray full of food that I prepared, wondering how I could have traveled so far from New York and my life of singledom and just incredulous at my new married life.

It was a very enjoyable evening, giving me the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with some people here where I live on Brays Island Plantation. I'm am still the "new kid", the second wife of Landon K. Thorne, and lots of people either don't know me or don't know what to make of me. Many people who live here are fully retired, most are older than I, and some, I know, struggle with finding a way to relate to me. For some, I am the age of their children. But, for those who reach out to get to know me, we can find points of connection.

Any way, several people engaged me in conversation last night to find out, among other things, how I am adjusting to life in the Low Country, knowing that I spent 23 years in New York City and wondering how I'm dealing with this transition. I think people are genuinely concerned about my ability to adjust because the transition is so huge. So, they ask me about what activities I like to do. Some of the women like to ride horses, some, golf or tennis, others like to play bridge, and still others shoot sporting clays. And, that's when I realized...my happiness here has nothing to do with the activities I engage in. Sure, I have fun -- I ride bicycles, do yoga, swim, kayak off our backyard, ride horses, take walks, and I'm looking forward to shrimping, boating, and fishing. After all, being married to my husband is like being married to my favorite camp counselor. But, I realize that my happiness is not defined by what I do.

I'm happy because I feel so embraced and loved by everything around me. My husband loves me and shows me every day. He has created an loving environment -- everything that surrounds me speaks of love. Our dogs are so loving, Comet the wonder horse is affectionate. Members of our household, my husband's assistant, Mary, our handyman Harry, everyone provides care and support so that there is a feeling of serene harmony in our home. Even the landscape speaks to me of love. I see love everywhere -- in the soar of an eagle, in the color of a flower, in the gentle moistness of the sweet air, in the rhythm of the tides -- it's all around me. I am embraced in and by Love.