Noticed, Thanked, and Valued

I was feeling discouraged and disappointed.  An advertising campaign I had put a lot of time and effort into hadn’t brought me the hoped-for clients.  Seemingly nothing I had tried was bringing people in the door.  Every day I was feeling more like a business failure.  Yesterday, I needed to get my eyes off myself,…

70th Wedding Anniversary

In a few days, Husband’s parents will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.  It all started like this:  a seven-year-old boy encounters a six-year-old girl at a fishing hole.  He had met her briefly once before when her brother visited his brother.  But now, suddenly, here she was right in front of him with a snagged…

Gifting

Several days ago we attended a school musical program.  The audience quieted as a lovely young teenaged girl sat down to the grand piano on stage.  The packed auditorium seemed transported from their mundane lives to a different dimension while she played and erupted into enthusiastic applause when she finished her flawless performance.  One young girl…

What I Learned from Four Weeks of the Flu

What I Learned from Four Weeks of the Flu I learned that it was such a comfort that friends and family just accepted our ups and downs without judgment.  Some days we felt almost normal, then suddenly out of nowhere a fever would take us down.  Or just weakness.  No one belittled us.  This made…

Making Valentine’s Happy

Date:  Valentine’s Day, 1972 Setting: The Student Union Lounge of a college in Chicago Characters: Two college students Me:  So, are you going to ask me to marry you?  Husband-to-be:  Uh, well, we are sitting here discussing our wedding date. Me:  I know, but I’d feel better if you actually asked me to marry you. …

Humbug!

Bah, Humbug!  To be honest, that’s how I felt about Christmas this year.  In particular, about gift giving.  I felt overwhelmed before I even gave it rational thought.  I was defeated before I even tried.  With 15 widely scattered grandchildren and very limited income, it seemed impossible.  So I just gave up.   Funny how…