With a nephew who joined the Army and just left for boot camp, the 4th of July takes on a renewed significance for me – just as it did fifteen years ago when my son joined the Marines, leaving for basic training shortly after his high school graduation. Amidst all the 4th of July picnics and parades, the flags and the fireworks, I try never to lose focus of what the holiday is really about. And the fight for our independence – that took place [...]
It was a long day, but a wonderful day. I spent most of the morning, afternoon, and evening at the Georgia Writers Museum on Thursday. Over the course of the day, I spent time reading, reflecting, and studying. I also spent some time cleaning, organizing, and setting out refreshments. I took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, met some new people, and got to know others a little better. I was both exhausted and energized by the end of the day. Volunteer activities always make me [...]
It was my husband’s turn to host a group of guys from our neighborhood who meet for coffee once a week. When the gathering is at our house, I help get things set up in the morning, then head out for a few hours to myself away from home. Sometimes I go to the health club. Other times I run a few errands or do a little shopping. But this week I decided to go somewhere where I could just grab a cup of coffee [...]
We’re almost halfway through the year, which makes this a good time for a much-needed reset and jump start on a project of mine – my still-active New Year’s Resolution. This year, my resolution was to come up with a monthly theme, such as “Decluttering” or “Health Habits,” and then do weekly tasks or projects related to the theme. It’s gone well, for the most part, but I’ve fallen a bit behind lately. Part of the reason, of course, was being out of town recently [...]
I’m back. And I appreciate the thoughts, prayers, and support from those who read my blog and knew nothing except that I was going out of town unexpectedly, and would not be posting any blogs for a few weeks. The suddenness of our leaving town was due to a medical emergency with my mother-in-law, who was in and out of the hospital – and back in again – in the time we were there with her. That trip led directly into another one that we [...]
I’m going to be dealing with some family issues and a bit of traveling over the next few weeks, so you won’t hear from me at all next week. Hopefully, I’ll be back on line the week after that. I wish everyone a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. May 24, 2019 ©Betty Liedtke, 2019 I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments will be moderated and approved before appearing on this blog. This is to protect all of us from unwanted [...]
“The God of Chaos.” It sounds like the title of a video game, or a villain in the latest superhero movie. But it’s the name given to a huge asteroid that was in the news recently, one that’s supposed to pass closely enough to earth to be visible to the naked eye. But not for another ten years. We were talking about this not long ago while visiting our daughter. It started with a conversation about what’s going on in the world today, and evolved [...]
We’re just a few weeks away from Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. But in some ways, it feels like summer has already begun. We attended a graduation party yesterday for one of our neighbors who just finished college, and will soon be off to nursing school. In a few weeks we’ll be attending another graduation party – this one for our nephew. Since he enlisted in the Army, his high school graduation will not only be a celebration of his accomplishments, but a [...]
It was everything I expected it to be, and more – which I also expected. I wrote last week about the Toastmasters District Conference I would be attending over the weekend – my first in Georgia, although I attended many when I lived in Minnesota. I expected to see a few people there whom I already knew, as well as to meet and get to know many others – and I did. I expected the educational sessions to be not only educational, but inspiring and [...]
“Everything old is new again.” I’m not sure where or when that saying originated, but it’s what I’m feeling right now. I’ll be spending this weekend in Atlanta at the Toastmasters District 14 Conference. This isn’t my first Toastmasters conference. I’ve attended a number of district conferences and conventions, and several regional and international conventions since I first joined Toastmasters in 2005. But that was when I lived in Minnesota. This is my first district conference since moving to Georgia two years ago, and I’m [...]