&

&. And. Ampersand. These three things are one in the same. Synonymous. Webster's Dictionary defines it as follows: A conjunction (conjunction, junction, what's your function??)
(used to connect grammatically coordinate words, phrases,or clauses) along or together with; as well as; in addition to;besides; also; moreover: pens and pencils


Tonight we had my family over for homemade pizza, cookies, fun and laughter. We laugh about jokes, my sister's southern accent, past stories and current events. One thing that really got me to laughing tonight was when I said the word "ampersand." Out of eight well-educated (two even have a master's) adults, no one in the room knew what I was talking about. Everyone thought I was crazy and had made up the word "ampersand." They all started saying things like, "what are you saying??ant fra stamp??"  Anifreestand??" , and many other ridiculous suggestions. Wha?!?! Everyone knows what an ampersand is. Apparently not... I took each of them into my bathroom to show them the ampersand I have on the wall.(shown above) This was a good lesson for each of them. After that odd occurrence and even when I was in the store buying this ampersand I got to thinking about its meaning. I went into the store to buy an "R." I had this particular place in mind and was looking for an "R". As I walked down the aisles to the home goods sections to get this "R", I got to thinking...I have alot of R's in the house...(Homemade Button "R", "R" shams, pillows, etc etc...I mean...people know my last name starts with an "R". They get it. I don't feel like it's something I am going to forget. So, I thought, "Maybe I should get something different." When I saw this ampersand I immediately picked it up and bought it instead of the patented "R". I bought it because it's cute and different. And it made me think. What exactly does it mean to me? In one week David and I will celebrate our one year anniversary. It has been one year since that exciting day in Gold Coast, Australia when we first committed ourselves to lives with one another. This seemed like a fitting time to buy this ampersand because it is symbolic to me of the life we have built "together."  The ampersand is symbolic for "and." "And" is a connecting word meaning also, in addition to, as well as.  To me, this recent purchase (I must add that it was free with my coupons.) is a symbol of Anna AND David. The "A" and the "D" are important, but what is more important is the AND. Me AND you. What does the ampersand mean to you?