3. Morgan F.

When on a boat at sea, even the most seasoned sailors may find themselves feeling nauseous. What I learned on my most recent foray into the great green-blue was that the safest place to be when your stomach turns choppy is in the middle of the deck. Aboveboard and between the hulls (at least on a catamaran) one may find a bit of relief from the swirling of heat and waves.

My friend Morgan is this place. She is the peaceful center, and when she walks into your house she will greet you with a placid smile, her shoulders relaxed in a humble pose. Recent events in her life can only be described as chaotic, yet her gentle demeanor is unmarred.

She balances carefully a relationship with family and friends and family of friends with a grace that belies her age. Her hobby is scrapbooking and I find this ironic because of its title. She takes scraps of paper and an array of photos and quotes and turns them into a book of art. Quietly, peacefully, and patiently she works. I marvel at her ability to go at it for so long without going crazy... if I were surrounded by a clutter of papers and blank pages for any length of time I know I would scream and quit.

The peacefulness that emanates from her gentle heart spreads out, I can only suppose through her nerve synapses, all the way to her aspect. I like to walk in on her dozing; pink lips are closed softly against a backdrop of soft ivory skin and long strawberry eyelashes. She is pretty all the time, but I've never met someone who could actually pass for Sleeping Beauty without trying. Perhaps I shall call her Aurora.

Her Peace is what I find so lovely, and it draws me to her like a crazy moth to a glow in the dark.