My Reading Blog

Dear TWT Hosts, Fellow Slicers, Readers and Commentors, We've arrived at the final day of this challenge.  It has been exciting, invigorating, thought provoking and difficult. As I finish up my sixth year of writing in this challenge, I want to thank each of you for the encouragement, the comments and joyous celebrations and sorrows that I have experienced from your slices. I want to especially thank my daughter, Michelle, who pushed me the first year to join this awesome group of writers and keeps encouraging me each year thereafter. Thanks to the hosts of TWT for beginning this journey 10 years ago.  I thank you for giving each of us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves by writing each day. Thanks to all who have commented on my slices.  That's one thing that keeps me going. This challenge has made me look around and see all that there is to take in.  The little things that pop up and give food for thought.  The inspiration from others to ...

Once again, I was struggling to figure out what I was going to write about and Voila, I read an e-mail. When I lived in Illinois, I worked for Elgin Sweeper Company for fourteen years.  During that 14 years, a great friendship grew with Monika.  She started working for the President of the company when she was 18.  Tomorrow she is retiring and will be turning 70 in July. She has seen a lot of changes go on during those years - the company going from privately owned to becoming a public entity, the number of presidents and vice presidents she's trained over the years, the knowledge that she has of the history of that company, going from a union to a non-union shop and the strike that came about because of it, the high and lows of sales....  The list is much longer and she has so many memories. I had sent her a congrats card and she said it was going on her bookshelf along with all the other Elgin Sweeper memorabilia,  She is an amazing women and has so much...

This is the first time in many years that we haven't spent Spring break and Michelle's birthday with her and her family.  They headed south for the week and are enjoying themselves amongst many Disney characters.  They invited us along, but we didn't feel that we could keep up the pace and didn't want to slow them down. Michelle put her writing in this challenge on hold so that she could enjoy family time without the added stress of getting a slice written.  I understand, but still miss her thoughts and comments, as I'm sure many of you do. I'm glad that this challenge is in March because I've gotten to write tributes to her on her birthday and get to share with you a special woman.  And this one will be another tribute to a special (one and only) daughter. Michelle came into the world two weeks early, but still a healthy baby.  Our second one.  Scott was enthralled by his baby sister (at least until she started getting into his stuff).  She will...

I don't know if it's just the area we live in or if it happens all over.  Since we've moved to the Ozarks, we've had some frustrating situations. After we bought property here and still living in Illinois, we contracted with an excavator who was suppose to clear the property so that we could begin erecting our pole barn.  He said, "No problem.  I'll have it complete by the time you get down here to do the concrete work."  Hubby arrived with a crew to pour the foundation and floor, but the area remained as it was when he had talked with the excavator.  He tried to contact him, but couldn't get a hold of him.  So he found someone else to do the work quickly. When we were building our log home 18 years ago, we ordered many different components for the house.  Namely, we had ordered some lights.  They had to be ordered for somewhere else.  We waited and waited.  No call, no lights.  So we contacted them after six weeks and they said...

This morning is gray and dreary with raindrops falling, but I got a lift of joy when I read my e-mail. A friend who's husband died from cancer a year and a half ago, sent an e-mail.  She is one of those remarkable women who has persevered thru some difficult times.  Monte had been sick for six years and she cared for him.  The last six months before he died, she took a leave of absence and stayed with him.  Monte had prepped her and left her with knowledge of how to do things and survive on her own. Even though it has been rough to carry on, JoAnn has kept moving forward.  She went back to work, attends a grief support group, has tried her hand at kayaking and now goes on outings with a group of women who are avid hikers and canoer's.  She has a strong faith and many supporters.  She stays busy. She sold her big house and purchased a condo.  She is settling in.  She did research this winter to find just the right kind of battery operate...

Sunny is shining Spring is springing Flowers are blooming Grass is growing Max is snoring Book is calling Eyes are closing Nap Time

Last night we had our small group/Bible study.  Our group has been together for over 10 years.  We've lost a few due to moves and other commitments, but our core group of 10 is pretty consistent.  Last night there were only seven of us.  The other three were sick.  Our topic was Comfort - how God comforts us and teaches us to comfort one another. One of the questions was "How do you comfort others?"  We talked about my hubby's "Hug Ministry", our Stephen Ministry program, reaching out, listening, praying...  The list went on and on. The other question was "When have you been the recipient of comfort?" This questions brought many responses of our different difficulties that we've encountered over the years and how we felt receiving comfort from others. Then I asked, "Does anyone need comfort now?"  C. poured out her heart about how she and her husband have been trying to deal with their son.  He is an alcoholic and has some bi-po...