Columns – FindYourBuriedTreasure

Let’s resolve this.

One of the members of my writing group is a woman from South Korea. She’s had a difficult life, both there and here, and has shared with us some heartfelt and thoughtful observations about her life and experiences—again, both there and here. At our last meeting, she read a piece that touched on New Year’s Resolutions, noting that once, when she had a January appointment with her dentist, she asked him what his New Year’s Resolutions were. He said he didn’t make any. She wrote [...]

By bettyliedtke|January 21st, 2025|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings, Values, Writing|0 Comments

New Year’s Non-Resolutions

So here we are, a week into the New Year, and I’m still working on my New Year’s Resolutions. I guess that means “Quit procrastinating” is off the table. Actually, I haven’t been procrastinating. I’ve just been changing my mind a lot. Which means “Be more decisive” is probably also off the table. Here’s the thing. At Mass on New Year’s Day, our pastor’s homily touched on New Year’s Resolutions. As you would expect, he didn’t focus on losing weight or cleaning out closets, but [...]

By bettyliedtke|January 8th, 2025|Accountability, Columns, Faith, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

A Roaring Good Time

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve dressed up for a Halloween party or any other costume event. But I was recently reminded of how much fun it can be. Georgia Writers Museum holds a “Meet the Author” event every month, when we invite a Georgia author to do a presentation, usually based on his or her most recent book. We select a theme for the event—also based on the book—and design the décor, food, and drinks around that. The head of our Programs [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 10th, 2024|Columns, Gifts and Talents, Writing|Comments Off

Time and Time Again

Well, it’s that time of year again, when we turn over the last page of the calendar—those of us who still use paper calendars, that is—and shake our heads as we wonder out loud: “Where did the year go?” Even though Christmas sales and decorations now start showing up around July, the Christmas season still unofficially starts on the day after Thanksgiving. And since Thanksgiving this year was November 28, the last date it’s possible to be, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is crunched [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 3rd, 2024|Columns, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off

Gobble, Gobble!

I first saw it in an email ad from Kroger about a week ago. The email featured coupons, menus, recipes, tips, and even a timetable for preparing Thanksgiving dinner, including appetizers, side dishes, and desserts. I was drawn first to the recipes, of course, and that’s where I saw the photo of a turkey-shaped cheeseball, complete with pretzel feet, cracker face, and a colorful bell-pepper tail. It made me laugh just to look at it, and I could tell it would be fairly easy to [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 23rd, 2024|Columns, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

Life Lessons from Stan the Man

There are times—like right now, on election day—when I worry about the state of our country and the world. I’m concerned about all the angry rhetoric, the threats of violence, and the explosive tempers that seem to be the norm these days. It makes me wonder what kind of example we’re setting for our children, and what kind of lessons we’re teaching them. Then I come across someone like Stanley Tucker. And I’m comforted and relieved to know that because of people like him, there’s [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 5th, 2024|Accountability, Columns, Making a Difference, Respect, Values|Comments Off

Lighten Up!

My book club meets once a month, and each of our twelve members takes a turn hosting the meeting—serving snacks and lunch before we sit down to discuss the book. I always try to work the menu around the theme or environment of the book we’re discussing. Book Club was at my house this month, and the book we read was A Shadow in Moscow, by Katherine Reay. I highly recommend it, by the way—and since it’s a spy novel set in Russia, I researched [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 27th, 2024|Columns, Health and Well-being, Holidays, Organizing, Values|Comments Off

Name Blame

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Maybe, but I’ve got some new thoughts about names. I have a cousin named Katrina. I’ve always loved that name—and my cousin. But today, if you say “Katrina,” it’s not my cousin that comes to mind first. It’s the devastating hurricane that killed more than a thousand people in 2005. The city of New Orleans was one of the hardest hit, and damage from the [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 21st, 2024|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Values|Comments Off

After the Storm

I hadn’t even heard of Hurricane Helene until a few days before it hit. That’s unusual. Normally, there is a week or more of weather reports saying something is developing somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean that may turn into a tropical storm or a full-fledged hurricane. We always pay attention to hurricane news, even though we live so far inland in Georgia that hurricanes usually don’t affect us directly. There have been some exceptions, of course, such as Hurricane Irma, which left us without power [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 5th, 2024|Columns, Values|Comments Off

A New Look at the Theory of Relativity

It’s all relative. During the 18 years we lived in Minnesota, we drove to the Chicago area—where most of our relatives still lived—at least two or three times a year. It was a seven- or eight-hour drive, and made for a long day, especially when the kids were young and when winter weather was especially wintery. When we moved to Georgia seven years ago, our daughter was living in Florida. It was roughly an eight-hour drive to see her, and we never had to worry [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 16th, 2024|Columns, Family, Quotes and Sayings, Travel|Comments Off

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