Today, I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who is – or has been – important to a child… To the ones who gave birth to them and raised them – which is often, but not always, the same person. To the ones who nurtured, educated, and inspired them. To the ones who stepped in and took over when Mom needed a break, or had to go back to work. To the ones who never had kids of their own, but was [...]
I spent the weekend in Duluth – Georgia, not Minnesota – attending a Toastmasters District Conference. It was our first live conference since Spring of 2019, and it felt wonderful to be there again, live and in person. Numerous safety measures were in place, including mask and social distancing rules and recommendations, and a requirement for proof of a negative COVID test taken 24 hours before the start of the Conference. A testing station was set up near the registration table at the hotel, for [...]
When I was very young, Easter Sunday meant walking up the hill to church for morning Mass, wearing a pretty dress and hat, white gloves, and ruffled anklets. Later in the afternoon would be a traditional Easter meal – sometimes at our house but usually at Grandma and Grandpa’s. Following that would be a few chocolate treats and marshmallow Peeps from our Easter baskets – especially welcome after having gone without candy of any kind all through Lent. When my kids were young, some things [...]
When we lived in Minnesota, my sister and I used to visit the Minneapolis Farmers Market almost every spring. We have very different tastes and interests, so one of us would linger at a booth the other would barely glance at. We’d often pass each other up, and meet at the end of the aisle. While my sister spent time looking at flowers, I would be checking out herbs and veggies. She liked garden decorations and knick-knacks. I preferred kitchen gadgets and seasoning blends. I [...]
For those of you who aren’t aware of this, April is National Poetry Month. I know this because a friend of mine is a poet and celebrates it every year, and also because Georgia Writers Museum always has poetry-related events during April, whether it’s an open mic night for poetry readings, a “Meet the Author” event featuring published poets, or a contest for students asking them to write a poem – or submit their favorite poem, along with a paragraph explaining why it’s their favorite. [...]
“What have you lost that you’d most like to find?” That was the question at a Toastmasters Table Topics contest I recently attended, via Zoom, at the club in Minnesota I belonged to when I first joined Toastmasters. “Table Topics” is a part of every Toastmasters meeting, and it’s designed to help members learn to think on their feet and organize their thoughts quickly by responding – for one to two minutes – to an open-ended question. In a Table Topics competition, the contestants are [...]
I had a really difficult time writing my blog this week. Like many people, I am horrified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the atrocities being inflicted on the Ukrainian people. Although it’s not the kind of thing I normally write about, I thought it was warranted at this time. To not even acknowledge it felt like I would be closing my eyes to all that was happening there, or being dismissive of something that is already having world-changing consequences. But what could I say [...]
My last Leadership class was on Wednesday, and the focus of this class was Recreation. We visited a number of parks and recreational facilities, as well as our local Water and Sewer Authority, and Wallace Dam, which separates Lake Oconee from Lake Sinclair. Although the cold, cloudy day – and the forecast of rain – drove us indoors for part of the day, we still managed to get outside for many of our planned activities. For one of them, we were divided into two teams, [...]
I spent most of last weekend at the Georgia Writers Museum, helping with their first Annual Writers Retreat. As a member of the Board and the Programs Committee, I was thrilled to see how well-attended it was, how enthusiastic and involved everyone seemed to be, and how smoothly the entire event flowed. As a writer, I appreciated the knowledge I gained, the other writers I met, and the inspiration I received. As I drove home from the retreat each day, my mind was filled with [...]