bettyliedtke – Page 8 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

A Different Way of Doing Things

The writing group I belong to used to meet weekly. That was before COVID. Then, for a while, we didn’t meet at all. Eventually, we started getting together via Zoom, although we didn’t meet every week. Like many people and organizations, we discovered there were pros and cons to Zoom meetings. They were better than not being able to meet at all, and allowed long-distance members to take part. But technical glitches were frustrating and annoying. When it was okay to start meeting in person [...]

By bettyliedtke|January 16th, 2023|Columns, Toastmasters, Writing|Comments Off

Just a little time

A friend of mine commented on last week’s blog about my New Year’s Resolution to spend an hour, first thing in the morning, writing. He suggested that one hour might be too big of a commitment at first, and that it would be better to start with a shorter amount of time – 15 minutes, perhaps, or even just 10. I’m sure many people would question how long it would take to write a book – or accomplish anything, for that matter – in 15-minute [...]

By bettyliedtke|January 9th, 2023|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Writing|Comments Off

I firmly resolve…

I’ve decided that 2023 is going to be the Year of the Book. This is no relation to the Year of the Tiger, Rabbit, Ox, Dragon, Snake, or any other animal celebrated in the Chinese New Year. Instead, it’s related to my New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve realized for a while now that I’m not spending enough time, on a regular basis, on any of the books I’m writing. I have four that are in various stages of completion, from great-idea-and-outline-done to basically-finished-but-needs-a-bit-of-tweaking. And none of [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 31st, 2022|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Health and Well-being, Holidays, Writing|Comments Off

Change of Plans This Christmas

After a mid-December trip to California to spend a few days with our daughter as she recovered from surgery, we were home packing our bags again, this time for a trip to Minnesota – with an overnight stop in Chicago – to spend Christmas with our son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. The night before we were scheduled to leave, however, we decided to cancel our trip. Although we had already dug through our closets for any cold-weather clothing we still owned – in anticipation of [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 24th, 2022|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Holidays, Travel|Comments Off

Oh, those bells!

I heard some church bells ringing the other day, and – perhaps because it’s the Christmas season – it made me think of a column I wrote long ago. I dug it out of my files and reread it, and realized it was just as appropriate today as it was then. I hope it inspires some fond memories for you. Christmas bells bring music, memories, and peace “Christmas bells, those Christmas bells, ringing through the land. Bringing peace to all the world. And good will [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 11th, 2022|Columns, Faith, Holidays, Music/Singing, Values|Comments Off

Advice for Gift Shopping

“Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” This reminds me of the traditional bride’s wedding-day advice to have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. But this one isn’t about brides or weddings, it’s about buying children’s gifts at Christmastime – or any gift-giving occasion, for that matter. I first heard this saying from my hairdresser, whose son is close in age to my grandchildren. We were talking about buying gifts for kids, and she recited the rhyme [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 5th, 2022|Columns, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

Giving Thanks from A to Z

How do you express your thanks on Thanksgiving Day? Many people say a special blessing as they sit down to their Thanksgiving dinner. Some go around the table and have everyone name one or more of the people and things they are thankful for. For others it’s more private, with meditation or prayers of gratitude on their own. I usually do some combination of this, and this year, I decided to add something new. I made a list of things I am grateful for, running [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 23rd, 2022|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Holidays, Values, Writing|Comments Off

The Smartest Age

“As we get older, we get wiser. At what age are we the smartest?” That’s the question that was asked of contestants at a Toastmasters Table Topics competition I attended recently. In a Table Topics contest, participants are given the question, and must immediately give a one- to two-minute response. The purpose of Table Topics, in competition and at regular Toastmasters meetings, is to help people learn to think on their feet, organize their thoughts quickly, and give a confident, intelligent-sounding response to spur-of-the-moment questions. [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 15th, 2022|Columns, Toastmasters, Values|Comments Off

A Gift of Time

I still remember my daughter’s first day of pre-school. Her big brother was already in kindergarten, and after I dropped my daughter off at school and returned home, it hit me that for the first time in a number of years, I had a block of time, during the day, all to myself. I stopped short as I stepped through the doorway, thinking about the best way to use that time. Should I do a whirlwind housecleaning, since I could do so without any kids [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 7th, 2022|Columns, Family, Values|Comments Off

If you see something…

“If you see something, say something.” That slogan has existed since 2001, and came about in response to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Its original purpose was to remind people – at airports especially, but other places as well – to speak up and alert authorities if they see anything suspicious, such as an abandoned bag or suitcase that could contain a bomb. Over the years, the phrase has been used in other contexts as well – suspicious activity [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 31st, 2022|Accountability, Columns, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off

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