My Most Beautiful Thing

Today I'm taking part in the My Most Beautiful Thing Blogsplash to celebrate beautiful things - inspired by Fiona Robyn's new novel, The Most Beautiful Thing. Bloggers from all over the world are taking part and writing or posting pictures of their most beautiful things today. Find out more here and see everyone else's blog posts here. 

Ever since Fiona sent me this invitation I've been thinking and wondering what "my most beautiful thing" might be.

I remember how, when I was a little girl, my grandfather used to take me to the fairground and I wanted nothing more than one of those large dolls in the frilly dresses you could win if you were a really good shot. They were beautiful. To a little girl's eyes, the were very beautiful. But my grandfather never tried to shoot and win and always bought me cotton candy instead.

When I received my letter of admittance to university many years later, when I opened that letter and knew where my life was going, I had to think of those dolls, and how unattainable they had been. I had gained something so much better, and yet the regret over that lost doll lingered.

At university, I met my husband.
We met one night when my then neighbor, a physicist, took me and my room mate on a sightseeing tour of the nuclear accelerator. My future husband was on duty there. He told me later that he fell in love right away, the moment he saw me. All I remember of that night was the apple pie on a table, but not the nice, black-haired young man sitting at the desk in the corner of the room.
It didn't take him long to win me. We got married less than a year later, and we still are married today, 32 years later.

A year after getting married, my first son was born. I wanted a daughter, but I got a boy. He turned 30 not too long ago, and he's a lovely man. A medical doctor, newly married, a wonderful son, everything one could expect in a child.
We had to wait thirteen years until our second child was born, and again it was a boy. Again I had wanted a girl, but it was not to be. This one, too, has grown up into a wonderful young man.

Six years ago, I decided to pay our neighboring school a visit and tell them that I wanted to teach musicals and theater. I'd never done it before, but I felt I could do it. Long story, but I had the four best years of my life there. We produced many shows, had many brilliant reviews in the local newspaper, the mayor always attended our opening nights. Then admin at the school changed and the fun was over.
It hurt a lot to quit, but there was just so much I was willing to take.
In addition to that, I had just signed my first book deal with Buddhapuss Ink.

Why am I telling you all this?
Because I don't have ONE most beautiful thing.
Or wait, maybe I do.
My most beautiful thing is my life. I never got one of those dolls, it's true, but that's a small price to pay for all the big and wonderful things that have come my way.