THE PROPOSAL

I recently realized that I neglected the most important part of Leland's and my love story - the proposal. As I have already chronicled, Leland and I renewed our friendship on September 19th, 1982 and married on March 5th, 1983. What I haven't mentioned is the most important turning point in our relationship; the day Leland proposed. Sadly, Leland nor I remember the exact date but we do recall where. We were standing in the tiny hallway of my rented cottage in Armonk, New York shortly after my Dad passed away. "Out of the blue" Leland said "will you marry me"? With absolutely no hesitation, I replied "YES".  There was no engagement ring involved then or later but just the happiness of knowing we were in love and would be spending the rest of our lives together made it particularly poignant.  A kiss cemented our intent - that was enough! And, as you all know by now the past thirty years have been the happiest of my entire life. We have shared the joys and sorrows of life together and faced challenges as a team intent on besting those challenges. It was always my dream to marry Leland and my dream came true. I am the luckiest woman in the world.

Ours is a wonderful love story and I know that there are many more tales of love worthy of passing on.. Let your families know yours. My Parents' shared their love story with my Sister and I and we are fortunate enough to pass their history on to our children. I hope that generations from now somehow, somewhere our story will be filed away for reference.  A family tree with all its branches with names are really a summarization of love stories. I just bet that our ancestors could tell us many a tale if we could only ask.

My Cousin, John Lyons and his Wife, Fran found the documentation of our Grandparents' arrival at Ellis Island. Their romance started on the voyage from England to the United States and culminated in a marriage producing five children! I wonder how many other immigrants met their spouse (s) on their journey to the United States seeking a better way of life?  See, we must ask, to get the answers to these questions before it is too late. Go forth and discover. Love, Arlene

Today I want to recommend a CD to you: EDDI READER - The songs of Robert Burns. The song I adore is "My Love is Like a Red Red Rose. It is quite simply, beautiful!

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
1/4 confectioners sugar
1/4 TSP salt
1/2 pound butter softened to room temperature
Can add raisins or chopped nuts (1/4 cup)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients together. Knead thoroughly until the consistency becomes doughy. Press into a shortbread mold. Bake in preheated oven approximately 45 minutes or until shortbread is slightly brown and still somewhat springy to the touch. Let cool in mold and run knife around the perimeter of the shortbread to loosen it from mold. Remove to rack.