I was hurrying through the Dollar Store, in search of a tiara to give a friend who had been fighting turning fifty. Nothing like a little royal treatment to make someone feel special. This coloring book practically jumped off the shelf at me. I paused and then smiled as the memories of me—prone on the floor, carefully outlining and coloring … Read More
Cooking Up a Little Happiness
Peanut, my fifteen-year-old son who is expected to be six-foot-two, loves a hearty breakfast. A home-cooked spread of meat, eggs, fruit, bread, milk and/or juice will draw a smile to that boy’s face any day of the week and any hour of the day. And I love whipping up some of his favorites on those lazy mornings when Duty isn’t … Read More
Oh, God Kinds of Goodness
Every once in a while you find a place, that special place that seems to have it all.We recently found such a treat, several such delights, actually.On our trip to Emerald Isle, North Carolina.Warren and me.Alone. On vacation. For the first time in twenty-some years. No friends, family or children… Just each other and oceans of discovery in front of … Read More
Rising Sun
My optimum sleep patterns are from 1:30 AM – 8:30. Classic night owl, I feel the most energized if I am awake outside of those hours, and my mind tends to generate some of its best thoughts when the world settles in to retire about ten. Needless to say, I knew when I went into my current line of work … Read More
Six Cents
This woman gave me money,even when I didn’t need it “Do you have six cents?” the cashier asked me after she rang up my $4.06 purchase. “No, ma’am, I’m sorry. I only have this ten.” “I have six cents,” the woman behind me said, and then fished coins from her change purse.I thanked her, this woman who gave me money, … Read More
Hummingbirds
A pleasant distraction fromthe drudgery part of my day job I fill this feeder with homemade nectar numerous times throughout the summer season. The birds, some with shiny green backs, some with brilliant red throats, and some a dusty gray, frequent the station outside of my office window. I never tire of the distraction from the tedious bookwork that is … Read More
Happy on a Hillside
Happy Happens on a Hillside On one of our recent errands, my son pointed out this smiling hillside. Someone had mowed it into a long sweeping hillside, one that looks like the perfect winter sledding track. Do you see it, the mouth running along the gate? The one eye just above it? It was such … Read More
Great Balls of Fun!
Happy happens in the pharmacy I was rushing through the drugstore when this tower caught my eye. I had an image of children tossing and catching these giant bouncy balls on a beach. And a smile crossed my face. In my usual rush, I hurried past and on out to the car, where I paused. Those balls gave me a moment of … Read More
Waves of Bliss
We spent last week in a blissful state by the shore. Gentle breezes, mid-to-upper-80s, family, friends, seafood, surf… All play and no work makes Jill a happy girl. We all need a day (or two or seven) now and again to recharge our bodies, our lust for life, our creativity… The time away was one of the few vacations where … Read More