A better place to be

A friend asked me to write and I haven't been feeling much like it lately. Seems that I was having too many stresses for too long. My father always said "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything."

When Thanksgiving arrived I had to ask myself not only what am I thankful for but what have I done with my time this year?

As a kid every Thanksgiving, we traveled to grandma's in Ohio for dinner and she was a great cook. Sometimes Grandpa let me have a shrimp cocktail as a special treat. Gran's homemade noodles and baked breads rivaled anything you can enjoy in Amish Lancaster Co. restaurants. My Mom never was a good cook, except for baking a flaky apple pie. Go figure? I cooked for many years having the family at my home and now everyone seems to go there separate ways and that's OK. I am nostalgic for Gran's cooking. It was she who taught me to cook, can and bake. Many thanks.

I am thankful for a few wonderful friends & family who have been supportive in many different ways during some trying times. Some have relocated & retired, but they are still in my heart.

Grateful that my shoulder is repaired and PT is over, the co pays were breaking my budget after three months. I am healthy and able to move about, and sleep without pain. Sleep deprivation causes more stress and more emotional upsets than any one ever should have to endure. I have not had that much time off work in twenty years. Despite the shoulder pain, it was serene and welcome. OK must give big thank to the orthopaedist and physical therapist. Dave was the best, do not undergo PT with anyone else......

My birthday gift was a trip to see Josh Groban. He was excellent and I love going to concerts.
My sister and I took the time to go to the Flower Show as we have done so many times and it almost always falls on my birthday. Turning 50 was uneventful, I didn't tell you as I did not want a lot of attention (embarrassment). Whether or not that was good, I am not so sure. During the summer I snagged some great seats to "Five For Fighting". On a warm summer evening enjoyed the folk songs of Jeffrey Gaines. This has become a summer tradition for me.

I truly became a fan of baseball this year, Ryan Howard, JRolle and Pat Burrell had a lot to do with it. I am a big fan of Patsy. Who knew?

I try to spend as much time as I can with my mother as she seems to be needing more help with things. Her memory is not what it used to be. I spent years fighting with her but in the end I realize that she did the best she could. Her life as a child must have been a horrific and devastating time. Imagine hiding from the bombs during WW2 in underground bunkers with classmates that were her only family. Some of her friends could not or did not endure although many came to America, few can be found now. She had had the same best friend her whole life, how many of us can say that?

Why do I say all this, because I needed a shift to my thinking and with Thanksgiving and Christmas I finally began thinking less about myself and more about what I can do for others. As the year winds down there there is much for me, for all of us to do, if we want to make our world a better place to be.

A better place to be reminds me of Harry Chapin who dedicated himself to feeding the hungry and the charity in his name still continues all these many years after his passing.