Our pastor announced last weekend that he was going to be away for a few days, on a silent retreat. In addition to no talking, there would be no phones, internet, electronics, or communication of any kind. Just—silence. And meditation. And prayer. I know several people who have done silent retreats in the past, some as long as 30 days. The very idea of that amazes me. Even getting past the idea of taking a sabbatical from your regular life for a full month is [...]
Although my college graduation was almost 50 years ago—but who’s counting?—I continue to go back to school on a regular basis. I enjoy attending classes, workshops, and seminars, whether they’re to learn something totally new, to get advanced training, or just for fun. I’ve been in junior college courses, community ed classes, Bible studies, and master-level programs. And now I’ve gone back to kindergarten. It was Pre-K, actually, and I wasn’t exactly enrolled in the class. Instead, I was taking part in a program developed [...]
We’re a full week into the new year, and my New Year’s Resolution is still alive and well. In fact, it’s taken on a life of its own. The basic plan was to declutter one room or area a month, and to get rid of at least one item every day, so that 30 or more items will be donated or thrown out by the time I move on to my next target. I decided to start with the master bedroom closet. Each morning I [...]
I saw a news clip recently about a woman who bought a vase at a Goodwill store for $3.99, and ended up selling it for over a hundred thousand dollars after discovering it was a rare and valuable piece by a famous Italian designer. That’s one of the reasons I have a hard time getting rid of things. Because you never know. Then there’s the fact that I may discover I desperately need something as soon as I give it away or throw it away. [...]
Wishing everyone a very Blessed and Merry Christmas, a Happy and Healthy New Year, and success and satisfaction during the rest of the holiday season and throughout 2024. December 22, 2023 ©Betty Liedtke, 2023 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 spam.
I had a dream last night in which I was standing in my kitchen, holding a ticket for a Christmas concert I was to attend that night at a school in a town some distance from where I live. I had a last-minute question for the friend I was going with, and who was planning to drive. But when I called her, I found out she had forgotten about it, and hadn’t bought her ticket. We realized that since it was the day of the [...]
When people ask where I’m originally from, I usually say “the Chicago area.” Or sometimes “a small town near Chicago,” which is a little more accurate. And even though I’ve spent most of my life living on the outskirts of major cities, I consider myself a small-town girl at heart. That’s why last Friday felt so good. It was a gloomy, rainy morning, and I was getting ready to head out to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up when I got a text from [...]
“The last two holiday traditions I’ll ever give up,” I told my son, “are cooking a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, and baking Christmas cookies.” I made the comment as my son and I were talking on the phone, a few days before Thanksgiving, about our holiday plans. I had mentioned that we knew a lot of people who, instead of cooking a traditional turkey dinner, had “alternate plans.” Some were still going with a turkey dinner, but were purchasing either a ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat-up option [...]
The most poignant and powerful speech I have ever listened to was one I heard more than a decade ago, and to this day, I still remember every word of it. Of course, there were only eleven words. I’ve written about this before, but it is more relevant today than ever, and I think it warrants revisiting. It took place near the end of a weeklong “Inspirational Speakers” workshop I attended – along with about a hundred other people. At the end of the week, [...]