Family – FindYourBuriedTreasure

A Philosophical Question

When my kids were little, I always enjoyed taking them to the library, and realized early on that the Children’s section had a wealth of information and ideas for adults, too—especially those who were considering starting a new hobby or activity, like gardening, painting, or making gross-looking snacks for Halloween. Children’s books were quicker to read and easier to understand than the “How-to” books in the Adults section, and provided a basic overview and instructions for getting started. This, of course, was long before YouTube [...]

By bettyliedtke|March 29th, 2025|Columns, Family, Values|Comments Off

Picture Perfect

It wasn’t a very romantic start to Valentine’s Day. But then again, I didn’t expect it to be. I was at an early-morning appointment in Atlanta with one of the doctors I see for annual checkups. The exam room I was in was right across the hall from the door to the general waiting room. After I watched a few people come and go, I saw a deliveryman come in, carrying a bouquet of roses, a stuffed teddy bear, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, and [...]

By bettyliedtke|February 16th, 2025|Columns, Family, Holidays|Comments Off

Gobble, Gobble!

I first saw it in an email ad from Kroger about a week ago. The email featured coupons, menus, recipes, tips, and even a timetable for preparing Thanksgiving dinner, including appetizers, side dishes, and desserts. I was drawn first to the recipes, of course, and that’s where I saw the photo of a turkey-shaped cheeseball, complete with pretzel feet, cracker face, and a colorful bell-pepper tail. It made me laugh just to look at it, and I could tell it would be fairly easy to [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 23rd, 2024|Columns, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

A New Look at the Theory of Relativity

It’s all relative. During the 18 years we lived in Minnesota, we drove to the Chicago area—where most of our relatives still lived—at least two or three times a year. It was a seven- or eight-hour drive, and made for a long day, especially when the kids were young and when winter weather was especially wintery. When we moved to Georgia seven years ago, our daughter was living in Florida. It was roughly an eight-hour drive to see her, and we never had to worry [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 16th, 2024|Columns, Family, Quotes and Sayings, Travel|Comments Off

A new candidate has a new agenda

During a visit with our daughter eight years ago, conversation turned to the coming election, and inspired a tongue-in-cheek column in which I appointed members of my family—myself included—to different government positions. Some of what I said is as relevant today as it was then, so I’m printing it again. I hope you enjoy it. The Department of Nice. That’s the federal agency I’m going to be in charge of after my daughter is elected president. My husband and I spent last weekend in Florida, [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 8th, 2024|Columns, Family, Gifts and Talents, Making a Difference, Values|Comments Off

On the Road Again

Although we’ve been home for a few weeks now, I’m still humming the Simon & Garfunkel song that starts out, “Gee but it’s great to be back home.” After three weeks on the road and almost 4,000 miles on the odometer, it was, indeed, great to be back home. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat. In the three weeks we were gone, my husband and I visited with family in Chicago and Minnesota, then drove down to Dallas for a convention, and finally [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 9th, 2024|Columns, Family, Travel, Values|Comments Off

One More Time

I had numerous feelings of déjà vu recently when my husband and I flew to Phoenix. From there we rented a car and drove to California to visit our daughter, then back to Phoenix to visit some friends there that we haven’t seen in a long, long time. The déjà vu kept popping up because this was the same itinerary we had last November, when we had to cancel our plans after learning that a tree fell on our house and punched a hole in [...]

By bettyliedtke|June 22nd, 2024|Columns, Family, Travel, Values|Comments Off

Travel Time

It’s been seven years since my husband and I moved to Georgia from Minnesota. The first summer we were here, both of our kids and their spouses came to visit over the 4th of July, and we all had a great time. In fact, our son said, “I know where we’ll be going every year for our summer vacation.” It didn’t turn out that way, however. By the next summer, our daughter-in-law was pregnant, and long-distance travel would have been uncomfortable at best. By the [...]

By bettyliedtke|June 5th, 2024|Columns, Family, Holidays, Travel, Values|Comments Off

A Messy Situation

I met a friend for coffee and catch-up last week. At one point, she pulled out a pocket-sized notebook to write herself a reminder for something she had to do later. “I just bought myself a fancy new notebook,” she told me, “but whenever I need to write myself a note, this is the one I always use.” She added that she doesn’t want to “mess up” her new notebook with notes and scribbles. She wants whatever she writes in it to be perfect. We [...]

By bettyliedtke|May 21st, 2024|Columns, Family, Values, Writing|Comments Off

Easter Observations

Our church was crowded last Sunday, as it always is on Easter. Sitting in the pew in front of us was a young family. The two boys, about five and ten years old, were well-behaved and well-dressed, each in tan pants, a button-down shirt, and an adorable bow tie. This reminded me of a column I wrote more than 20 years ago, about another Easter Sunday. I think it’s still relevant today: As I waited for Mass to begin on Easter morning, I watched some [...]

By bettyliedtke|April 8th, 2024|Columns, Faith, Family, Holidays, Respect, Values|Comments Off

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