For all of the things that seem to be going wrong in the world, there is one thing that is very right: When the chips are down, Americans are there to lend a hand.
Eight years ago this month, my husband Rick and I were married in Key West, Florida. The ceremony was small – just my husband, his best man, my mother, my matron of honor and me … and a half dozen or so drunks who happened to be passed out on the beach nearby.
I was not even going to write anything about Valentine’s Day in this month’s column. I had a self-righteous “dare to dream” diatribe all worked out in my head. You know, something like, “This is where the rubber meets the road, friends.” Whoever “they” are, “they” cautioned us the entire last week of December that most of us would fail at whatever New Year’s Eve declarations of intent we made. Here we are over a month into the New Year, and Fat Tuesday is sitting there like a huge dead-end to whatever “new me” or “new you” we were determined to become in 2016.
“I really think you should sign up for these courses, continue on with this. You are such a great student,” said the college advisor to the soon-to-graduate student seated across the desk from her.
In this month of gratitude, I cannot help but feel grateful for all of the great mentors I have had in my life. Most of us have a teacher, friend, aunt, uncle, dentist … someone who taught us something that made us better in our careers, or in life, in general.
You may think it’s too early to say, “Bah! Humbug” – but if you do, it’s because you have not been in a retail store lately. Any store. I am actually not talking about the already ubiquitous Christmas displays in every retail cranny across the land … I am talking about Halloween.
I have been obsessively following the search for Elsa – a black Lab-mix dog that went missing from her home in Swartz Creek. Her owners created a “Find Elsa” Facebook page, dedicated to bringing her home. On it, you will find videos featuring her tiny human siblings, pleading for her safe return. There are photos of this sweet pup, happily playing dress up, just being part of a family.
August is the month when people say things like, “Summer’s almost over,” a lot. I’ve actually said it before, myself, but it is kind of silly when you think about it. Do I really want to spend the last month of summer talking about how it won’t be summer much longer? There is actually a good reason why an odd sense of impending doom sets in this time very year: It’s back-to-school time. You would have to avoid stepping foot in any and all retail outlets in order to truly escape the reminders. There are signs everywhere, so even if you do not have children, you know that the clock is ticking on summer.
“Where are you from?” It’s such a loaded question. It really should be an easy one to answer, but as one who has lived across the country and even overseas, it has always been pretty complicated for me.
For me, spring officially kicks off every year with Humane Society of Genesee County’s “Paws on Parade” champagne brunch. As I was getting ready for this year’s event, I suddenly realized it would be my tenth time serving as emcee. I am honored to be asked to return every year, but what is most humbling about this annual Sunday outing are the people who repeatedly turn out to support it.
I love it when Mother Nature melts away the wintery blanket of snow on my lawn to reveal all of the stuff I should have cleaned out of my garden before the first flake flew. I always have the best of intentions for a fall clean-up in preparation for winter. Somehow, it always magically seems to snow before I get around to clearing away the dead flowers and cleaning out the large planters on my deck and front porch.
