“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” ― Gustav Mahler Earlier this month, I opened my old address book and sent out a couple dozen Christmas cards. Even though I stay in touch with lots of people through social media, this is a holiday tradition I love, and I always include a brief personal note. It’s not about the card, but rather the connection I enjoy preserving. The holidays are filled with traditions. Some we anticipate with great excitement like the Continue Reading
The Eight Phases of Moving
Today, I filled up the back of the car and dropped off a load of donations at our charitable resale shop. Phew! That’s the last of it, I am sure. Except I said that last week when I dropped off a batch of can’t find room for you stuff. And the week before that for items that didn’t make the cut. I am almost convinced that we have made as many trips to the resale shop here as we did in Lansing, before the move. All of this has made me ponder the many phases of a move, whether it’s across Continue Reading
Thanks, Mom
The last Mother's Day I had with my mother was 1980. If she were with me today, I'd say thanks for... taking me the see Julius Caesar at the Guthrie Theater when I was 14.not laughing when I would play Shoe Store on snow days, and letting me fill the living room floor with every single pair of shoes in the house. growing the most beautiful iris in town.making me help with ironing. It's not over-rated and I still start with the collar.teaching me to make change when I hung out at your fabric Continue Reading
The Gift of Memories
Of all the blessings I’ve had this year, one of the greatest gifts was spending a couple of hours with my brother-in-law at an Amish horse auction. While the rest of the family headed to the apple orchards for fresh cider and warm donuts, Wayne and I headed to the county fairgrounds in my rural Wisconsin hometown. We slid onto the cold, metal bleachers on this unseasonably cool late September day. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my one-shade-away-from-gawdy green jacket, and Continue Reading