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By Gene Gallelli

Every moment spent with my bride, daughters and grandchildren was, is and always will be very special.

Today, however, after a refreshing morning walk, I have decided to acknowledge and record “special things” that are unique to me, that brighten my days and those that comfort me every day of the week.

Like millions of others, come morning I reach for that steaming cup of morning coffee to get the cobwebs out of my eyes and, after polishing it off, I decide whether I need a second cup. I know others prefer tea or perhaps a cola to do the trick, but for me nothing beats that mug of dark Italian roast with just a splash of creamer. (Real coffee lovers can drink java whether it’s hot, tepid, cold or frozen if that’s the way it came.)

We have two four-legged members of our family: Bella and Zero. When Bella isn’t sniffing, she’s barking at ear-shattering decibels. Zero, our big baby, likes to howl at the moon and squabble in several unknown tongues. There are so many things that make these furry, cuddly friends special, but nothing compares to their warmth and unconditional love, both available twenty-four hours of every good or bad day. I’m not ashamed to admit that I love them.

I have many artifacts that are much more than just objects sitting on a shelf or hanging on a wall in my office – too many to list. There are a few that make me pause and that elicit special feelings and warmth.

My bride was into painting ceramics – our house was full of the evidence. She had found a cute ceramic golfer and painted it with the colors and details on my favorite golf shirt, shorts and hat. It had a smiling face that wasn’t an accurate representation of me when I hit the links.

A poem my oldest daughter wrote in first grade is hanging on my office wall. I love its heartfelt message and for the only grammatical glitch I believe she ever made. (Those who know my oldest daughter will understand.)

Our youngest offspring loved modeling clay and would spend many quiet hours sculpting whatever was in her huge imagination. She made me a tiny horse and rider – both smiling – that made me feel her presence whenever I looked at it. Unfortunately, it has been misplaced and is always on my bucket list to find and, again, gaze upon.

There are so many “things” to reflect upon that others would consider special, like vacations, senior proms, first jobs, and high school sweethearts. And, of course, everyone has memories special only to them.

We are surrounded by trinkets of our past, things special about today and reminders of how we can enhance the future. They all are a history or acknowledgement of who we were, are and may become.

Many of the “things” that we prize as special, may be considered by others to be what is unique about us.

Anyway and finally, here’s a shoutout to having many more days of hanging special things on walls, or placing them on shelves, or pasting them in family photo albums.

In my opinion, the more people, places and things that we consider special, greater is the probability that we are happy, and, heck, isn’t that our goal in life?

Gene Gallelli was associate superintendent of the Dare County Schools for eight years. He received his doctor of education degree from East Carolina University, where he taught and supervised students studying to become school administrators.

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