Table with a View

Make love now, by night and by day, in winter and in summer…You are in the world for that and the rest of life is nothing but vanity, illusion, waste. There is only one science, love, one riches, love, only one policy, love. To make love is all the law and the prophets. -Anatole France

Excuse me, sir, we are going to need this spot," a deep voice awakened me from my sunset reverie. I looked up and saw a young man wearing black tuxedo trousers and a short white waiter's jacket, setting up a dinner table on the grassy hill. He and an assistant laid out elegant white linen and cutlery befitting a fine restaurant. "Is there some party happening?" I asked. "It's a wedding anniversary. " "How many people are you preparing for?" "Two. It's the couple's 25th anniversary. The husband is surprising his wife with a private catered dinner overlooking the beach."

In just a few hours on a verdant knoll overlooking a Maui beach, a happy woman would have the surprise of her life. As she and her husband would be strolling along casually, he would suggest, "Why don't we rest here, honey?" She would sit, perplexed, as a gourmet restaurant crew would emerge from behind the bushes and serve them a meal fit for a king and his queen, before one of the most spectacular backdrops on the planet.

Let's hear it for romance. Passion is a very holy thing. It is the very juice of life-the electricity that sparks all growth, achievement, and expression. Passion is the hand of God reaching into humanity to animate it to divinity.

Today, put some romance into your life. If you're in a relationship, surprise your beloved with a gift that you know will make him or her happy. And if you're in relationship with yourself, give yourself flowers, get a massage, or do something for yourself that a lover would give you. Don't miss a moment of the adventure of life. Make love now.

I will celebrate all the gifts You have created for my happiness.

The universe is my palette. I paint a glorious picture and step into it.