bettyliedtke – Page 38 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

An old holiday tradition gets a new, sweet twist

Baking Christmas cookies is one of my favorite holiday traditions. It takes me back to when I was small, baking Christmas cookies with my mom and my sisters, and it brings warm memories of the many Christmases since then in which I’ve continued the tradition. I usually spread my baking out over several days, but this year my sister and I decided to make cookies together, so we spent a full day in her kitchen last weekend, sifting, sorting, measuring, and mixing. By the end [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 16th, 2016|Columns, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

Make your plans, and celebrate your life

In addition to all the holiday plans and preparations everyone is busy with at this time of year, many people take some time to look back at what they’ve accomplished and experienced in the past year, and to look forward as they plan for the future and all that they’d like to accomplish and experience in the coming year. I’ve never been able to sit down and plan out my short-term and long-term goals in terms of six-month, one-year, and five-year projections. Whenever I’m asked [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 9th, 2016|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Buried Treasure, Coaching, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings, Success|Comments Off

A minor miracle has a major impact

I referred to it as “a minor miracle.” A friend of mine laughed, asking what I would consider to be a major miracle. “The parting of the Red Sea,” I told her. “The lame throwing down their crutches and walking. The blind suddenly being able to see.” She suggested that those might better be described as dramatic miracles, rather than major ones, and another friend then suggested that I call the one I was talking about a simple miracle, rather than a minor one. What [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 2nd, 2016|Coaching, Columns, Faith, Health and Well-being, Values|Comments Off

A lesson in integrity comes from an unexpected source

They spoke with eloquence and a bit of humor. They spoke with wisdom and a lot of experience. They were members of a new Toastmasters club, and were giving a presentation at our recent Toastmasters conference. The man who transported them to the conference waited in the back of the room till they were done speaking, at which time he would take them back to prison. The three presenters were from a nearby Federal Prison Camp, a minimum security facility that the men now call [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 25th, 2016|Accountability, Columns, Family, Toastmasters, Values|2 Comments

Can’t we calmly agree to disagree?

You can disagree without being disagreeable. This has always been one of my firm beliefs, and it’s something I’ve always tried to live by. It breaks my heart that it’s a practice that seems to be getting less and less common every day – and in everyday matters, not just hot-button topics like religion and politics. Still, we’ve had more than our fair share lately of evidence in that last category. That’s why an experience I had last week was so refreshing and reassuring. It [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 18th, 2016|Columns, Respect, Values|Comments Off

Buried treasure becomes a book

It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of doing, and that I’ve started a number of times but never quite finished. I’ve helped others do it, and I’ve done it twice as part of a larger group, but never on my own – until now. I’ve just published my first book. I don’t know which was more exciting, holding an actual copy of the book with my name on the cover, or seeing the book listed on Amazon, which made me feel like a “real author” [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 11th, 2016|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Buried Treasure, Coaching, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Success, Writing|Comments Off

A political speech doesn’t have to be negative

One of the things I love about my Toastmasters club is how much I learn from the other members. During their speeches, I often find out more about subjects that are among my own interests and areas of expertise, because I am able to see another side of them, or a different perspective. I also learn more about occupations, hobbies, and beliefs that are totally different from mine. Another thing I love about our club – and the Toastmasters organization in general – is that [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 4th, 2016|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Toastmasters, Values|Comments Off

It’s time to clean up and clear out

We’ve reached the age and stage in our lives when it’s time to downsize, so my husband and I have been spending our time going through closets and cabinets, boxes and bins, and all the nooks and crannies where “stuff” resides and hides. It’s been an interesting endeavor. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt, especially when I come across something I lost track of years ago, wondering from time to time what ever happened to it. Other times I feel like I’ve [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 28th, 2016|Buried Treasure, Columns, Family, Organizing|Comments Off

We can learn a lot from Camelot

“Camelot” has always been one of my all-time favorite musicals. I’ve probably seen it half a dozen times or so at various theatres over the years, so I was delighted when I heard it was coming back to the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. I attended last Saturday night’s performance, and loved every second of it – which I expected. I also expected to be singing and humming songs from the show for the next few days, and I was. It’s hard not to. But what I [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 21st, 2016|Columns, Values|Comments Off

What makes you happy?

“Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer, but wish we didn’t.” I don’t remember where I first read that quote, but it makes me smile whenever I think of it. I’m guessing it was meant as a light-hearted observation, but there’s probably more truth to it than we realize. What brought it to mind just recently is a book I am reading, entitled Resisting Happiness, by Matthew Kelly. Not that I consider myself unhappy, or that I believe I’m resisting [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 14th, 2016|Accountability, Columns, Faith, Quotes and Sayings, Success|Comments Off

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