Columns – Page 39 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

Priorities change with a family emergency

“Where were you last week? I missed you!” This was what I heard from several people about the fact that I didn’t have a column in last week’s Villager. One person said, “I can’t even remember the last time your column wasn’t in the paper.” To tell you the truth, neither can I. And for those who are wondering about the reason, it was a family matter. My father-in-law was hospitalized with a life-threatening infection that required immediate surgery, so my husband and I pretty [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 2nd, 2016|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Values|Comments Off

An old house is becoming new again

“So, you’re really an empty nester now,” a friend said to me shortly after my son’s wedding last month. Her comment caught me a bit off guard, since my kids have been grown and gone for quite a while now. But with both of them now married, that makes my husband and me empty nesters in a whole new way. And it got us thinking about our house in a whole new way, too. Our son left home when he joined the Marines right out [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 19th, 2016|Columns, Family, Organizing|Comments Off

A closer look can tell a different story

I was sitting in the hotel lobby with three friends. We had just returned from an early-morning walk, and were enjoying a cup of coffee before packing up, checking out, and heading back to Minnesota. I was facing the front door of the hotel, and absently watching the people who were checking out and leaving. “They certainly have a lot of luggage for just two people,” I said to my friends, nodding toward a young couple pushing a cart full of suitcases toward the front [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 12th, 2016|Columns, Travel, Values|Comments Off

Still on track for “Around the World in 80 Days”

We’re halfway there and still going strong. In June, I set off – along with a number of other women who work out at Curves – to walk around the world in 80 days of summer. The owner of our Curves facility figured out how many steps it would take to do this, and set that as our collective goal. She put a world map up on the wall, and charts our progress with little colored strips of paper, and notes that list the total [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 5th, 2016|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Health and Well-being, Quotes and Sayings, Travel|Comments Off

An airport experience shows a lack of courtesy

My husband and I were returning from an out-of-state trip. Our flight home was late Sunday night, after a long and busy day. As we approached our gate at the airport, we found just one seat open in a row of seven seats. Gentleman that he is, my husband motioned for me to sit down. I did, and as I looked around, I could feel my temperature rising. It wasn’t from the weather, but the fact that three of the seven seats were occupied not [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 29th, 2016|Columns, Family, Respect, Travel, Values|Comments Off

A beautiful day starts a beautiful new life

It was a beautiful, beautiful wedding. As the mother of the groom, I may be a bit biased, of course. But I know that everyone who was there was in full agreement. My son got married last weekend, in an outdoor ceremony on a sunny, gorgeous day. The reception was both rustic and elegant, although it doesn’t seem as though those two words would ever go together. There were some lovely touches I didn’t expect, like the sign near the entryway that said, “We know [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 22nd, 2016|Columns, Family|2 Comments

You win or you learn

Some of my favorite quotes and sayings have come from signs I pass along the road, especially in front of churches, banks, and real estate offices. I always smile when I think about one I saw a few years ago. It said something like, “If God is your co-pilot, maybe you ought to trade places.” I saw a new one a few weeks ago, and it struck me as both clever and profound. It’s becoming even more so the more I think about it. It [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 15th, 2016|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Success, Toastmasters, Values|Comments Off

Gifts should come with no strings attached

My birthday was last week, and I enjoyed the cards, emails and texts I received from family and friends. But what really amazed me were some of the “gifts” I received. One company, whose mailing list I am on, gave me a birthday gift of a 25% discount on a purchase from their online store. I had 48 hours to make the purchase. Other businesses offered buy-one-get-one-for-a-lesser-price options in honor of my birthday. One restaurant sent me a very generous $30 off the price of [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 8th, 2016|Columns|Comments Off

Enjoying a new “Independence Day”

I still remember when the first Independence Day movie came out 20 years ago. We were living in Virginia at the time, and one of the things I remember most – even before seeing the movie – was reading a commentary someone had written about it in a small, local publication. She insisted we should see the movie as a wake-up call, and should be taking steps to prepare ourselves in case of an alien attack, because it was absolutely realistic and possible that we [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 1st, 2016|Columns, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

A long walk can take you anywhere in the world

I’m getting ready to take a walk this summer – a very long walk. In fact, I’m planning to walk around the world. I won’t be doing this alone. I’ll be with a group of women who work out at the Curves in Chanhassen. Curves often sponsors events and activities that give us extra incentive to keep up or ramp up our exercising. Sometimes it’s a game, such as Bingo cards in which each square says something like “Work out three times this week” or [...]

By bettyliedtke|June 24th, 2016|Accountability, Columns, Health and Well-being|Comments Off

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