Why do the powers that be in Hollywood think it is acceptable to use God’s name as a curse in so many films? “GD” this and “JC” that. Sadly, I believe the fault lies with consumers. We may be disgusted with onscreen sex and violence and offended by the language, but we still look the other way flock to theaters. The Trivia Question of the Day I posted on my social media sites today read as follows: WHAT IS THE THIRD COMMANDMENT? It was actually a random question chosen in the wee hours of the morning, but it really got me thinking. “Thou shalt not take the name of the […]
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Stars and Stripes Forever
What do “Stars and Stripes Forever,” Mr. Peabody, and ghosts have in common? Clifton Webb, of course! You’ll be glad to know I have found some very fun minutiae regarding yesterday’s Trivia Question of the Day: QUESTION: (TV & Film): Who did actor Clifton Webb portray in the film “Stars and Stripes Forever?” ANSWER: John Philip Sousa What would a Fourth of July parade be without a rousing rendition of “The Stars and Stripes Forever?” Well, simply un-American! This famous march was written by John Philip Sousa, the beloved American composer and conductor best known for his military and patriotic marches. Sousa’s career seems to have been written in the […]
Read more...God Bless Us Every One
Here’s today’s Trivia Question of the Day: QUESTION: Literature: What is the name of the sickly character in Charles Dickens’ book, “A Christmas Carol?” ANSWER: Tiny Tim Evidently, this question was far too easy for my social media followers. I expect, however, that you will find some of the details I uncovered while researching this blog to be fascinating. First a little background. A Christmas Carol is a novella by prolific English author Charles Dickens (Great Expectations Pickwick Papers, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist). The little book was first published on December 19, 1943 and has become one of the best-loved books of all time. Charles John Huffman Dickens was born on February […]
Read more...How to Support a Grieving Friend
A month ago my mom passed away. I have learned far more than I wanted to about life and death over the last 15 months: how to work with attorneys, accountants, funeral directors, insurance companies, healthcare professionals, and the like. One thing I know for sure is that we are all uncomfortable when it comes to expressing condolences; in large part that is because reacting to someone else’s loss means remembering those we’ve loved and lost and those who are yet to come. If we don’t talk about it, maybe it won’t happen. Unfortunately that’s not the way it works, folks. Since many of us are a bit slack-jawed when it comes […]
Read more...The Toughest Woman I’ve Ever Known… My Mom
I’ve dreaded this day for a long time, the day I would say goodbye to Mom – to both my parents, actually. Just 15 months ago I said my final farewell to Daddy. I now begin a new chapter in my life; it is going to be very different. My mother was the toughest person I have ever known, probably ever will. I lost count, but over the last year she had a least a dozen surgeries and was hospitalized or in the ER many, many times. You know you are spending too much time at the hospital when the parking attendants know your first name. Mom endured dialysis for her […]
Read more...Aging is no Laughing Matter… Or IS It?
I turned 52 yesterday…yikes. I used to think people in their 50s were lame and already had one foot in the grave. Well, now I’m there and it happened in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, I’m nowhere near a cemetery (she says crossing her fingers) and I’m still pretty cool – in a middle age kind of way, that is. Admittedly, I don’t let my bra straps show, I don’t have any tattoos or piercings on my face, I prefer Aerosmith to Nicki Minaj, and my goblet holds a dry Chardonnay instead of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, but I do have my contemporary moments. My kids tell me I’m […]
Read more...SILENCE IS GOLDEN
For an overachieving, working mother with a “Type A” personality and a tendency toward anxiety, the concept of being still is rather foreign … and a little frightening. Like so many Christians, I can be silent and listen to God for oh, about 15 seconds, before the noise of my over-stimulated mind breaks in. So imagine putting me in a place for 36 hours where true silence and isolation are observed? Then consider that this bona fide city girl would have no electricity or indoor plumbing and you’ll get an idea of how daunting the whole concept was for me. But that’s exactly where God led me. Finding myself at […]
Read more...A WHOLE New Ball Game
Aren’t you getting tired of everybody telling you to eat whole grains? I know it sounds like a broken record, but as a newbie on the road to wellness, I’m going to do it again. Sorry. If you’ll recall from last week’s first WELLNESS WEDNESDAY, I am trying to incorporate small changes in my life to make me healthier, happier, and more energized. So far we’ve talked about the importance of drinking a ridiculous amount of water every day. Doing so has health benefits from your brain all the way to the vascular system in your tippy toes, and it is a small thing to do to keep the specialists away. Today we […]
Read more...THE WONDERS OF WATER
I sold yellow pages advertising for twelve years, eleven of those years as an outside sales consultant dealing with major accounts. While it was a great way to make a living, it was definitely NOT glamorous. Most of my clients weren’t in luxurious offices with mahogany furniture; they were plumbers, remodelers, and roofers working out of a van. As long as I live, I’ll never forget meeting with a mechanic at his auto repair shop in a suburb of St. Paul. I pulled up to the dilapidated shop in my yuppie sedan and clicked up to the front door wearing three-inch heals and a designer suit. I swallowed hard when I […]
Read more...A Slippery Slope
Last night I enjoyed an abbreviated game of Bunco with a group of friends. Unfortunately the aura of an impending migraine came on and I had to pop an Imitrex and leave early. I felt pretty sorry for myself; I had been looking forward to getting together with the ladies for a long time. It was a dismal night of freezing drizzle in rural Minnesota. As I headed out to my car, head pounding and stomach lurching, I steadied myself against the vehicles lining the driveway to prevent myself from taking a flop on the ice. The drive home wasn’t too precarious until I reached our township where the roads are poorly […]
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