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, [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
A Week of Reunions
It was my husband’s 50th high school reunion, but we made it a week filled with reunions, from high school classmates and college buddies to other friends and family members we haven’t seen in quite a while. The high school reunion was the main reason for our trip to Chicago. But our first visit when we got into town was with friends we’ve known for well over fifty years. In our younger days, we used to go camping together, often [...]