Category Archives: Reflections

Word of the Week – Week #23

Reflections, Word of the Week

Hello and welcome!

Our word of the week is Wonder. As a noun Merriam Webster defines wonder as:

1a: a cause of astonishment or admiration : MARVEL b: MIRACLE

2: the quality of exciting amazed admiration

3a: rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience b: a feeling of doubt or uncertainty

I was going to share my thoughts on the word wonder but it occurred to me that others may have said it better than I. First is Louis Armstrong as he describes a Wonder-filled or Wonderful World.

and then I join Lee Ann Womack in “‘Hoping you never lose your sense of wonder’.

Wising you all a wonder-filled week. 🙂

Michigan Strawberries

Reflections, Strawberries

We Michiganders love our locally grown strawberries and it’s that time of year to get them. Since the season is short and may even be a bit early I thought I would give a head’s up to any local readers.

My husband picked our first 1/2 quart yesterday. The berries this year are smaller than in past years. This can be attributed to the drought that we are experiencing. I also won’t be surprised if there are less berries this year because of the drought. Even so we will be thankful for all that we do get.

Now to decide what to make with them. Hmmm. Do you have any strawberry recipes you would like to share?

The Best Things In Life

Reflections

Last Sunday morning there was a knock on our door. My husband went to see who was there and returned saying it was my sister. As I walked out on the deck I realized that she had stopped by to bring me the geranium that she had talked about giving me.

She had two large geraniums that she had brought inside and nurtured over the winter. They were both thriving and she had asked if I would like one. I have decided this one will adorn our deck for the summer and perhaps I too will be able to keep it alive through next winter.

This link offers three ways to preserve geraniums over the winter so you don’t have to buy new plants each year.

Thanks J.B. (and thanks K.C. for sending me the first photo in this post). ❤❤

Word of the Week – Week # 22

Reflections, Word of the Week

Hello and welcome!

Our word for this week is Integrity.

According to Merriam Webster Integrity means:

1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY

2: an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS

Integrity is probably my favorite character trait. I have great respect and admiration for those who demonstrate this attribute. I personally think of integrity as “doing the right thing just because it is the right thing to do,” but I also like the term Incorruptibility used in the definition above. Nowadays integrity seems to be something that is severely lacking in our society. The news, no matter what your source, is filled with stories of crime and corruption at every level; we are continually being warned about scams and we are being told how we must protect our identity from unknown predators looking to gain access to our personal information. I’ve find it sad that there is such a lack of integrity in society.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized that perhaps integrity is not as rare as it may seem. You see integrity is not news worthy. It does not evoke the emotions of fear, frustration, disgust, anger or rage that keep us coming back to hear more. It does not get us riled up.

Integrity is humble it doesn’t scream “look at me – here I am”.

Integrity is confident and stands on it’s own principles. It often stands alone in the crowd. It does not require recognition or commendation, but is self satisfying and rewarding. It brings peace of mind to those who have it. They can sleep well at night.

Integrity can’t be bought but to know a person with integrity is a priceless gift.

My daughter recently encountered a person with integrity when she lost her debit card while on vacation. Three days after loosing her card she was contacted by a woman through social media. The woman thought she had found my daughters card. I won’t go into all the details but this woman went above and beyond to make sure Lindell’s debit card was returned to her. Lindell was most grateful but the woman would not accept anything in return. That’s integrity!

Do you have a story about integrity that you would like to share?

Word of the Week – Week # 21

Reflections, Word of the Week

Hello and Welcome.

I know it’s late in the week but as they say better late than never. Our word this week is memorial.

Meriam Webster defines memorial as:

1: serving to preserve remembrance : COMMEMORATIVE

2: of or relating to memory

Monday is a national holiday here in the U.S.A.. It is Memorial Day – the day dedicated to remembrance of those who have died fighting in our nation’s wars. This link offers a history of how this holiday came to be. In recent years memorial day celebrations have encompassed the weekend prior to as well as the last Monday of May, making it a three day weekend. It has become know as the unofficial start of summer and many celebrations include recreational activities such as picnics, boating and camping. However you choose to celebrate I do think it’s important to at least pause and reflect on why we are able to enjoy such activities.

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”

– Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Note: My sister sent me the photos she took this Memorial Day morning. She tagged them “Beautiful morning. Grateful hearts.” They were a perfect addition to this post. Thanks! J.B.