Life Lessons In Unexpected Places

I’m not sure if you’ve seen this graphic (below) or not. I first saw it on Facebook, read it – twice – and thought: “Wow, there’s so much truth in this.” It’s so often the little things in life that determine the kind of person you really are. How we perform certain tasks, if at all, says a lot about how we may or may not treat people or perform other tasks. Or just approach life in general. Little hidden meanings surround all the little things we do.

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Valor In the Pacific

On this day, 80 years ago, 2,403 service members and civilians were killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Additionally, 1,178 people were injured. Two U.S. Navy battleships (the USS Arizona and the USS Utah) permanently sank. 88 aircraft were destroyed. On Aug. 23, 1994, the United States Congress designated Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

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Thanksgiving Greetings From Vicksburg

The holiday crush is upon us. It’s time to pack on the pounds and dole out the dollars. With a mad dash here and a mad dash there, here a dash, there a dash, everyday a dash, dash. In other words, it’s the holidays. November and December are always such special months of the year. But ultimately, the hustle and bustle culminates in the sharing of relaxed meals with loved ones and cozy nights by the fire.

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What’s Really Going On Here?

Do you ever look at a person and immediately formulate an opinion about them, be it by their clothes, their hair, their tattoos, etc.? It’s easy to do. It’s easy to look at someone and decide right then and there that there is something wrong with them or something unpleasant enough that you want to keep your distance. But is there really something wrong with them? Are they really unpleasant to be around? Does their pink hair really mean they’re starved for attention? Do their whole-body tattoos mean they have low self-esteem? Does their revealing clothing really mean they have loose morals? Maybe. Probably not. But, if you don’t look deeper, you’ll never find out.

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Sshhh – I’m Not Rooting For the Home Team

I enjoy watching the Olympics, but I don’t get to see as many events as I’d like. In years past, I recorded them on my DVR but there are so many events I don’t care to watch, that it gets tiresome fast-forwarding past them to get to the good juicy events I really want to see. This go round I’ve seen almost no events, but I did catch some highlights. One constant for me is that I almost always find myself rooting for the unexpected underdog who shows up out of nowhere with overwhelmingly high scores and blows everybody else out of the water. Or wins by a nose. You know? That athlete that sneaks up on everyone who is supposed to win and steals that medal. The one nobody is watching. Yeah, that person.

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The 81-Year Grudge

I love the 4^th of July! It’s one of my favorite holidays. I’ve said it before, several times, I love all things patriotic. Patriotic music always makes my chest swell with pride. Putting my hand over my heart during the national anthem reminds me of all the sacrifices our founding fathers endured so that we can have the freedoms we enjoy today.

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When the Dancing Gets Tough

I love to dance. Especially the noisy dances. The dances where you stomp your feet, tap your toes, and click your heels. Tap dancing, Irish dancing, Flamenco dancing, clogging, country line dancing, you name it, I love doing it. Now, I’m not especially good at it, mind you, but it’s fun and I really enjoy participating in this type of activity.

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A Mother’s Tear

Memorial Day means different things to different people. Lots of people attribute this long weekend with the beginning of summer. For some it’s a day off work, a day to sleep in, a day to cook outside. It’s a time for camping, boating, backpacking, backyard BBQ’s and more. Some people think of it as the last days of the school year. Some people look forward to super savings with Memorial Day sales at department stores. And that’s all good. But let us NEVER forget the true importance of this holiday – that we honor the men and women of our armed forces whose sacrifices allow us to live in a (still) free country.

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More Downs Than Ups

Last week was a very long, very overwhelming, and very frustrating week. It seems like every single thing was a struggle. Electronics weren’t working the way they were supposed to, guests weren’t acting the way they normally do, jars wouldn’t open, knives wouldn’t cut, food wouldn’t cook, life was just one giant curve ball. Nothing was easy.

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Too Much Time On Your Hands

Do you ever see something and wonder, “who thinks up this stuff?” I know I do. I’m a fairly creative person when it comes to certain things. But other times, I’m just clueless about how to make something happen. I think that’s why I love Disney so much. Everything Disney does just amazes me with the creativity and the engineering and the use of colors and music. But sometimes I see something and think, “why?”

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