A survivor’s story inspired us all
“Do you know Jackie Pflug?” my friend Dianne asked me recently. “Have you read her book?” The answer to both questions was “No,” although I recognized the title, Miles to Go Before I Sleep, as a line from my favorite Robert Frost poem. Once I learned the subtitle of the book, A Survivor’s Story of Life After a Terrorist Hijacking, and Dianne started telling me more about the book and the author, things began to click in my memory. The [...]
The first Father’s Day without Dad is memorable and meaningful
Father’s Day is going to be bittersweet this year. The sweet part is that my husband has just returned home from a business trip, and we’ll be able to spend the weekend – particularly Sunday – catching up, relaxing, and celebrating Father’s Day. The not-so-sweet part is that this will be the first Father’s Day without my dad, who passed away in January. It still gnaws at me that I can’t call him every Sunday, as we’ve done ever since [...]
Watching, learning, and following are first steps to leading and teaching
“See one, do one, teach one.” If I recall correctly, that was a line I first heard years ago on an episode of “ER” – one of my all-time favorite TV shows – by a doctor who was encouraging and guiding a medical student in a procedure the med student had never done before. The line came back to me last weekend when I was in the “See One” phase of a training I’m now going through. I haven’t switched [...]
A week in the chapel starts a journey for life
I just accomplished a goal I set for myself almost a year and a half ago, and I feel pretty good about it. The goal isn’t an end in itself, it’s more of a milestone. Still, it’s pretty significant, and I’m going to take a little time to simply enjoy and celebrate the fact that I did it. The goal was to spend a week in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel at my church. Not all at once, of course, but [...]
Which would you choose?
First question: Would you rather take a shower in ice-cold water, or skip taking a shower? Second question: Would you rather go without water or electricity in your home? I had to think about both of these questions one day last week, although the choice wasn’t really mine to make in either one. The first question came up during Table Topics at my Toastmasters meeting on Thursday morning. During Table Topics, a question, dilemma, or quote is presented to the [...]
A birthday decision launches a year-long adventure
“Within the next year, I’m going to do 60 things I’ve never done before.” That’s what a friend of mine decided on her 60th birthday, which was a few months ago. Whenever she does something she’s never done before, she writes it down on a slip of paper and deposits it in a special jar she keeps for this purpose. Her goal is to have 60 new experiences by her next birthday. She told me about this after reading one [...]