O is for Oh...

..consider this minuscule word made of only two letters. Consider all of the emotions it conveys in its smallness. Consider how powerful this word can be.

Think of the "Oh!" and what it carries when you receive unexpected gifts from thoughtful, caring people. The "Oh!" of delight, the unanticipated pleasure when opening up your mail. Thank you Amy for the lovely pincushion! Thank you, Marylou for the note cards and post-its.

Think of the "Oh!" of "My Lord!"..and the "Oh" followed by several expletives when you come home to see a very guilty looking dog, a very big dog who can reach things you never imagined she could reach. You are not expecting this. She is the dog you blogged about so glowingly. Something is amiss. You notice a plastic bag lying in the hallway. You enter the bedroom and shriek, "Oh, no, #@#*&#!" You see on the carpet the remains of a bag of dried beans, a blend of wild rice and other yummy grains and what was left of 3/4 of a loaf of whole wheat walnut raisin bread.
There is also the uttered scream of, "Oh!" when you see that she has "loved" the above beautiful pincushion. You see that there is the tiniest of holes and the ghost of doggy drool on it.

Reflect on the "Oh's" of sadness and disappointments, of hurts and grief..the "Oh's" of emotional exhaustion and mental anguish.

There is the wonder of "Oh" when you catch a shooting star out of the corner of your eye, or the quiet surprise when you look up from the kitchen sink and you suddenly are made aware of the beauty of a Harvest Moon that is perfectly suspended and framed in that window. The "Oh" of glee when you spy the first seedlings coming up in your garden and the "Oh" of greeting as you run outside to see the first geese of Fall flying overhead.

"Oh's" convey comfort and contentment: warm, enveloping baths, hot showers and cozy beds, fire on winter evenings, hot chocolate and the ending to a yummy meal.

It's a grand word this "Oh" is. It's a "wonder word", proving that small can be mighty and humble can be powerful.