Columns – Page 23 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

Poultry Power

When I say the word “chicken,” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Maybe you envision an actual rooster or hen. Or perhaps it’s a plate of chicken nuggets or Kentucky Fried. You might think of a childhood bully’s taunt, daring you to try something stupid or dangerous, and then calling you a chicken when you don’t oblige. Right now, the word “chicken” takes me back to Uganda, where I spent two weeks recently, visiting commercial and family poultry farms, a hatchery, a [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 10th, 2019|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Making a Difference, Respect, Uganda, Values|Comments Off

Three Kinds of People

Some people are dreamers. They envision endless and enormous options and opportunities, and believe the word “impossible” doesn’t mean something can’t be done, just that it hasn’t been done – yet. They can make a difference in the lives of others, as well as in their own. Some people are practical. They see the possibilities, but also the problems in their projects and activities. They recognize obstacles – real and potential – and they understand what needs to be done to overcome them. They can [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 2nd, 2019|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Making a Difference, Uganda, Values|Comments Off

Going Offline

My blog post today is simply a heads-up letting you know that I won’t be blogging for a few weeks. I’m involved in a big project that will have me offline and out of contact until the end of October. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers until then, and I’ll have much to tell you about when I’m back online. October 11, 2019 ©Betty Liedtke, 2019 I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments will be moderated and approved before [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 11th, 2019|Columns|Comments Off

Getting Out of a Jam

I was sitting at my desk the other day, getting ready for my writers’ group meeting. I had just printed out the pages I was planning to read, and as I was stapling them into sets, my stapler jammed. This usually means it’s almost empty, and the loose staples inside are bent and blocking the opening. But when I tried to open it to remove the logjam and refill the stapler, the pieces wouldn’t budge. No matter how much I pushed, pulled, pried or squeezed, [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 4th, 2019|Columns, Writing|Comments Off

A Mile in My Shoes

“I thought I knew every Elvis song there was,” my sister wrote the other day. But she had heard one that was new to her, although it was the choir at her church that was singing it. The song was “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” and the chorus goes, “Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Before you abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes.” This isn’t a new idea, and it wasn’t a new idea [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 28th, 2019|Columns, Music/Singing, Quotes and Sayings, Respect, Values|Comments Off

How are you today?

There’s an elderly gentleman I often see when I’m at the health club. We chatted a bit one day while we were on side-by-side treadmills, so now we’re old friends – meaning we smile and say hello whenever we see each other. When I greeted him the other morning and answered his “How are you today?” with “Fine, thanks. And you?” he responded enthusiastically that he was doing great. Then he added, “In fact, I’m fantastic! If I were any better, I wouldn’t be able [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 21st, 2019|Columns, Health and Well-being|Comments Off

After the Storm

I received a number of responses to last week’s blog, which focused on the people who lost everything in Hurricane Dorian, and on the way the storm put things in perspective for those of us who often get frustrated and annoyed by minor inconveniences. One of my friends, who lives in Florida, said he recently starting working on a way to deal with those minor inconveniences. Whenever he encounters an issue or problem that causes him stress, pain, or discomfort, he tries to remember there [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 14th, 2019|Columns, Health and Well-being, Values|Comments Off

A New Perspective

Due to a minor plumbing problem, we were without water in our house for two days last week. It was inconvenient and uncomfortable, especially since we didn’t foresee the need to fill containers or our sink with water ahead of time for drinking or washing. Still, it was indeed a minor issue, and the timing of it kept things very much in perspective. By “timing,” of course, I’m talking about this happening the same week as the catastrophic hurricane that decimated the Bahamas before turning [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 8th, 2019|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Values|Comments Off

Sweet Dreams

The night after her funeral, I dreamed about my mother-in-law. She was sitting in a lawn chair in the back yard of the house where I lived till I was ten years old, and she was protecting us from pythons. I have no idea how pythons got into my dream. They’re not normally found in the Chicago area, where we had been for the last two weeks. And I hadn’t seen any movies or news reports lately about python invasions, although I did watch – [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 1st, 2019|Columns, Family, Values|Comments Off

A Peaceful Goodbye

“She’s transitioning,” the nurse told us, which was a lot more comforting to hear than, “She’s dying.” “Transitioning” made it sound as if she were simply moving from one phase of life to another, and that’s actually what she was doing. A booklet given to us by the hospice chaplain contained a poem that described dying in terms of a ship sailing away toward the horizon, getting smaller and smaller in our sight, but not in reality. On a far distant shore, one beyond our [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 23rd, 2019|Columns, Faith, Family, Health and Well-being|Comments Off

Stay Up To Date

Categories