I hope this holiday season finds you safe and warm, and with a sense of satisfaction as you reflect on everything you accomplished and enjoyed throughout the year. I also hope you take some time to relax and dream, and to start envisioning the plans and goals you would like to pursue in 2020. I wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a Prosperous and Happy New Year! December 20, 2019 ©Betty Liedtke, 2019 I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments [...]
I had two holiday-related dreams this week. One of them was uplifting and inspiring. The other one – not so much. In the first dream, I was watching an awards show on TV, and a big song-and-dance number was going on. The performers were all dressed in robes of either gold or white, creating a festive and majestic look. At one point they started marching across the stage in a routine that reminded me of the precision drills bands often perform on the football field [...]
My three all-time favorite Christmas specials were on this week, although I was only able to watch two of them: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” For the record, my other favorite is “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” but I was busy the night that one was on. These Christmas classics always take me back to my childhood, which is one of the reasons I like them so much. But they also have timeless and important messages, which is another reason I [...]
I’ve never been one to go out on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that’s the unofficial start to the Christmas shopping season. Besides, Black Friday has gotten kind of gray and fuzzy over the years, with “Early Bird Black Friday Sales” starting sooner and sooner. It wouldn’t surprise me if, before too long, we’ll be seeing Black Friday sales advertised during the Labor Day weekend. Still, Black Friday remains enormously popular, and I know a number of people who make shopping on this day [...]
Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. He would have been 92 years old. Today is my grandfather’s birthday. I remember him well, but not the day he died or how old he would have been today. And next Thursday, of course, is Thanksgiving, the day we dedicate to giving thanks for our blessings. The day that reminds us to make a conscious effort to be grateful for everything we have in our lives. I’d like to suggest that we also take time to appreciate everything we [...]
It was a great birthday. It was a great party. My husband’s Aunt Vera turned 100 last week, and we were among the family members who traveled to Chicago to help her celebrate. Her two surviving siblings were there, and many of her nieces and nephews, some who came from as far away as California, West Virginia, and Texas. And, of course, Georgia. “Is it a surprise party?” a number of people asked when I told them why I was going out of town. My [...]
With a nephew who joined the Army and just left for boot camp, the 4th of July takes on a renewed significance for me – just as it did fifteen years ago when my son joined the Marines, leaving for basic training shortly after his high school graduation. Amidst all the 4th of July picnics and parades, the flags and the fireworks, I try never to lose focus of what the holiday is really about. And the fight for our independence – that took place [...]
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 [...]
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 – [...]