Values – Page 19 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

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

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

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

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

Old advice is new again

“Take some time to stop and smell the roses.” We’re all familiar with this saying, telling us we should take time out from our busy lives to notice and enjoy the good things that are all around us. I’m sure most of us would acknowledge the wisdom of the advice, although few of us probably follow it on a regular basis. I thought about this recently after hearing a friend talk about how much she enjoyed taking walks with her daughter. They would walk along [...]

By bettyliedtke|June 17th, 2016|Buried Treasure, Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Values|Comments Off

It’s going to be a merciful summer

It was a Freudian slip. I meant to say, “corporal works of mercy.” But “corporate works of mercy” is what came out instead. I was with several women in my Cursillo group, and we had just decided that we wanted to read a book together over the summer, and discuss it at our weekly meetings. We chose “Beautiful Mercy—Experiencing God’s Unconditional Love So We Can Share It With Others.” The book is a series of essays by different writers, each on the subject of one [...]

By bettyliedtke|June 3rd, 2016|Columns, Faith, Making a Difference, Values|Comments Off

Successful stories come from fears and failures

I got a strong dose of motivation and inspiration over the weekend. It happens every year around this time, which is when our Toastmasters District holds its Spring Convention. A highlight of the convention is the International Speech Contest, which brings together the winners of ten Division contests. These are people who have already won at three levels of competition, so you can imagine how polished and persuasive their speeches are by the time they reach the District level. What I’ve always found fascinating is [...]

By bettyliedtke|May 6th, 2016|Columns, Toastmasters, Values|Comments Off

Safety is a concern for us all

I laughed as I read the email, which began, “Dear Secretary of Nice.” The email was from a friend who’s also a regular reader of my column, and her salutation was a reference to a column I wrote a month ago, in which I suggested we could do with a “Department of Nice” in the federal government. And I assigned myself to be in charge of it. That idea came from a recent conversation with my husband and daughter. We were discussing the upcoming presidential [...]

By bettyliedtke|April 15th, 2016|Accountability, Columns, Values|Comments Off

A new candidate has a new agenda

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, visiting our daughter and son-in-law. On our first morning there, we spent the earliest part of the day just talking and sharing thoughts on whatever subjects came up. Our conversation eventually turned to the presidential election, and to news and views of the candidates. At one point, I turned to my daughter and said, “You’d [...]

By bettyliedtke|March 18th, 2016|Columns, Family, Gifts and Talents, Travel, Values|Comments Off

A day well-spent has a powerful impact

The conference officially started at 9:30, but the doors opened at 8:30 for coffee, networking, and shopping – not necessarily in that order. I decided to get there right at 8:30 in order to beat the crowd, but apparently “the crowd” had the same idea. There were over a thousand women at the conference, and it seemed as though most of them were already there when I arrived. The conference I was attending was the second annual WINE Conference, but it had nothing to do [...]

By bettyliedtke|February 19th, 2016|Columns, Faith, Family, Health and Well-being, Music/Singing, Values|Comments Off

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