by Elizabeth Taylor (NAPSA)—Asthe world becomes ever more uncertain, I have been making an effort to remind myself each dayof life’s great and simple pleasures. Whetherit is spending time with family, indulging in a well-loved pastime or relaxing in a garden enjoying the beauty of the flowers, it is important that we all take time to enjoy the present moment. However troubled the world and however frightening the times, I hope that my sharing of happier memories will inspire you to remember your ownpleasures. For me, family has always been the most important thing in my life. Family holidays with my children and grandchildren are always the high points of the year. As I walk around my garden now and smell the fragrant scent of the gardenias, it reminds me of the wonderful Easter egg hunt we had with the grandchildren this year, and our annual rowdy July 4th barbecue. For me, the smell of gardenias provokes the most powerful and warm memories of good times in the garden, and frankly, it is those times that inspired me to create my newest fragrance, Gardenia by Elizabeth Taylor. It’s my own way of keeping those memories close to meat all times. Since I was a child, I have had a fascination for beautiful things, especially jewelry. My very first purchase was a brooch for my mother. I saved my pocket money for weeks until I had enough to boldly go into the store and buy it for her. Since then, I’ve been a very lucky girl and I have rather a nice collection myself. Among my favorites are my charm bracelets, where each and every sparkling item conjures a different memory. The pleasure I have derived from this led me to write my book, My Love Affair with Jewelry, which has given me the chance to share my wonderful collection with others. Asfor Hollywood, well, films do still give me great pleasure. This year, as Warner Brothers was preparing to re-release “Giant” on DVD, I watched it again, and remembered what great fun I had with Jimmy Dean and Rock Hudson on the set. Above all, when times are tough, there’s no better way to escape the world for a couple of hours than kicking off your shoes and curling up with a bowl of popcorn and a good movie.
