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 [...]
My first-ever trip abroad was with a tour group to Paris in 2005. We had a full and glorious itinerary, visiting the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Monet’s Garden, Sacre Coeur, and other famous and not-so-famous-but-still-wonderful sites. Sadly, Notre Dame was not among them. It was on our original itinerary, but the day we left the States for Paris was the day Pope John Paul II died. In the following days and weeks, Catholic churches around the world – including Notre Dame, of course – [...]
I just bought a guitar. The decision wasn’t totally out of the blue, although it wasn’t exactly on my bucket list, either. I’ve always enjoyed music. I took piano lessons when I was in grade school, and I played French horn in the band from sixth grade through high school. I bought a guitar during my freshman year in college – inspired by a girl in my dorm who played the guitar and offered to teach me a few chords, and the fact that there [...]
I was surprised – honored, but surprised – when a friend and former coaching client contacted me recently and asked if she could interview me for her podcast. I felt honored, because my friend is amazingly accomplished. She has a PhD and is an ordained minister. She is certified in several areas of healing arts, and has a thriving business helping and teaching others to live an authentic, happy, purposeful life. She has published a book, developed a spiritual growth app, and produced dozens of [...]
It was just starting to drizzle as I got to my car after a meeting of my church group. I wasn’t carrying an umbrella, because it had been sunny and clear when the meeting started – although, to be honest, I rarely carry an umbrella anyway. If it looks like it’s going to rain, I usually just wear a jacket with a hood. As I got in my car, I could see dark, angry-looking clouds racing across the sky. There’s a nasty storm coming, I [...]