Family – Page 20 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

A Lesson in Leadership

Tabitha and I have already spent some time at the Cornerstone Leadership Academy--both the Boys' school and the Girls' school, where I did a program about finding the treasure in our gifts from God. We've been asked to develop leadership programs and presentations for other groups, so we've been working on those, too. The other night, I got a lesson and some insights into leadership in a rather unusual way. Tabitha and her husband Stone invited me for a visit in the home where they've [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 18th, 2013|Faith, Family, Uganda, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Back home to Uganda

I remember well arriving in Entebbe during my first trip to Uganda. Standing in the airport parking lot while our bags were being loaded in the van, I kept looking up at the sky and the scenery all around me, and thinking, "I'm in Africa! I'm in Africa!" It's now two trips later in just under two years, and I find myself taking it all in and enjoying the familiarity. I was welcomed as warmly as Tabitha was by her family who picked us up [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 14th, 2013|Family, Travel, Uganda, Uncategorized|Comments Off

To Get the Best Start, Start Writing the End

“Write the ending.” That was the point I took away from a blog post I read recently, by a writer whose work I greatly admire. And it’s the type of advice I especially love – simple to understand, easy to do, and it helps me not only in my writing but in other work I’m doing, and in my life in general. In this particular post, the writer said she had just written the ending of the novel she’s been working on. She pointed out [...]

By bettyliedtke|February 15th, 2013|Columns, Family, Writing|Comments Off

Warm thoughts come from a cold encounter

“I can see I’m at the right house,” the man said when I answered the doorbell wearing a winter jacket and scarf. Our furnace went out last week, on the day the temperature was expected to get down to fifteen below zero. The good news is that a repairman was able to come over fairly quickly, and he spotted the problem immediately. The bad news is that fixing it required a part he didn’t have, and couldn’t locate anywhere in the area. It had to [...]

By bettyliedtke|January 31st, 2013|Columns, Family|Comments Off

Love and loss were intertwined this Christmas

My brother-in-law passed away on December 23. He had been very sick for quite a while, and as Christmas approached, we learned that he wasn’t expected to live much longer. That doesn’t make it any easier to accept or to live with when it happens, especially when it’s around the holidays. “I was hoping so much that he’d be able to hang on till Christmas,” my sister sobbed when she called us from the hospital. We were prepared to drop or significantly alter our holiday [...]

By bettyliedtke|January 11th, 2013|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Holidays, Professional Speaking|Comments Off

A foggy morning clears the air

It was extremely and unseasonably foggy last Sunday morning – the kind of fog that feels surreal if you’re out driving in it because at times it is so thick that you can’t see anything around you. Even the deacon who delivered the sermon at Mass commented on it, noting that he had to be extra careful while driving to church from his home that morning. “What it really did,” he said, “was make me slow down.” He went on to talk about what a [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 7th, 2012|Columns, Family, Holidays, Values|3 Comments

Travel is time for reconnecting

As the days grow shorter, and the weather turns colder, we start winding down in anticipation of the dark, dreary winter months ahead – at the same time we start revving up in preparation for the holiday hustle and bustle to come. Although I’m busier than ever right now, I’m enjoying the “winding down” feeling, reflecting on some of the events and activities I’ve been taking part in lately. Especially on my mind are the three trips I took between late August and mid-September – [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 12th, 2012|Columns, Family, Travel, Uganda|Comments Off

Tragedies hit close to home when our loved ones may be involved

The first attention I paid to Hurricane Isaac was well before it built up to its full power or approached land. It was during a phone call with my daughter. My daughter lives near Orlando. Since Orlando is in central Florida and a fair distance from either coast, it’s not in as much danger of hurricanes as other Florida locations. Still, hurricanes there are not unheard of, and the area often bears the brunt of destructive and devastating rain and winds, even without full “hurricane” [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 7th, 2012|Columns, Family|Comments Off

Sleepy thoughts on a bright, starry night

I woke up at 4:30 one morning last weekend, and couldn’t get back to sleep. Everything going on in my life crowded into my brain, as it often does during especially busy spells. When that happens, I know the tips and tricks I need to utilize to push things out of my mind so I can get some more sleep, but frankly, it felt like too much of an effort. So I decided to get up and get a few things done. I figured that [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 17th, 2012|Columns, Family|Comments Off

Keep on singing to brighten everyone’s day

“The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun…” I smiled as I listened to a powerhouse voice belting out the popular song from the musical, “Annie.” But I wasn’t at the theatre experiencing it live, or listening to a CD of the soundtrack in my car or home. I was in the checkout line at the grocery story. The singer – whom I couldn’t even see at first because she was so tiny and was on the other side [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 3rd, 2012|Columns, Family, Music/Singing, Values|Comments Off

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