Category: Friends & Family

The Grocery Man

SAY THANK YOU

I spent a good chunk of the evening in the car, fighting rush hour traffic, in order to get my son delivered to his father’s house for the big Spring Break fishing trip to the Keys.  When my husband realized how late I would be, he offered to go to the grocery store for me.  He took extensive notes about brands, flavors, sizes, etc.  I am VERY set in my ways when it comes to products.  I like what I like.  Once, my husband came home with Vlasic dill pickles, not Claussen.  Doesn’t he know the difference between refrigerated pickles and those found next to jars of artichoke hearts and pickled onions? What’s life without the crunch?  I mean…come on!

Tonight, after many prior trips resulting in “constructive criticism,” he set out to brave the product search at our local grocery store with his list in hand.  When I got home, he had everything put away.  While he bought himself some things I would never eat (shelf stable bacon and generic Cheez Whiz), he got all of the items I requested and a few other solid selections.  I thanked him genuinely.  I wanted him to know how much I appreciated his help tonight.  Sometimes we forget to thank the people who help us out frequently.  Tonight, I checked the criticism at the door and turned on the gratitude.  Maybe he’ll go shopping for me more often now?  That’s about as likely as getting me to eat Cheez Whiz on my celery.  Pass the almond butter, please!

SAY THANK YOU I spent a good chunk of the evening in the car, fighting rush hour traffic, in order to get my son deliver...

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Little Johnny Strikes Again

SHARE A GOOD JOKE

Earlier in the week, I posted about Jimmy Valvano’s life lessons – Laugh, Think and Cry.  My dad has the LAUGH part down!  When I was growing up, he would tell jokes all of the time and usually ended with the line “Ahhh…I got a million of ‘em.”  When he leaves a bar, you can often hear him tell the bartender to “Keep a loose stool.”  One thing I love about my dad is how much he loves life.

Today he sent me a joke that I thought I would share with all of you.  I love Little Johnny jokes and this one really cracked me up!

Little Johnny’s neighbor had a baby.  Unfortunately, the baby was born without ears.  When mother and the new baby came home from the hospital, Johnny’s family was invited over for a visit.  Before they left their house, Little Johnny’s dad had a talk with him and explained that the baby was born without ears.  His dad also told him that if he so much mentioned anything about the baby’s missing ears, or even said the word ‘ears’, he would get the smacking of his life when they came back home.  Little Johnny told his dad he understood completely.  When Johnny looked in the crib he said, “What a beautiful baby.”  The mother said, “Why, THANK YOU, Johnny!”  Johnny said, “He has beautiful little feet, beautiful little hands, a cute little nose and really beautiful eyes.  Can he see alright?”  “Yes,” replied the mother. “We are so thankful. The doctor said he has 20/20 vision.”  “That’s great,” Little Johnny replied, “because he’d be ‘F-ed’ if he needed glasses!”

I hope that made you smile.  Enjoy the beautiful day and be happy you have ears!

SHARE A GOOD JOKE Earlier in the week, I posted about Jimmy Valvano's life lessons - Laugh, Think and Cry.  My dad has t...

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A Good Man

PAY YOUR RESPECTS

On March 14th, an old friend of mine passed away from Multiple Myeloma (bone marrow cancer). We had some good times in the past…late night parties, tubing on the lake, sons born around the same time, work celebrations, etc. Over the recent years, we only spoke about once a year via phone and twice a year via email. While it wasn’t often, I always knew that the guy on the other end of the phone or email was still the same great guy I always knew. He was consistently a good man.

I drove to Orlando tonight to pay my respects and pray for his family. Two men I have known throughout the years gave his eulogy and they both echoed the same things everyone in the standing-room-only cathedral was thinking. Great husband, father, co-worker, friend, fighter, man of faith, son, jokester, Gator fan, Irishman, lover of life. We all felt blessed to have known him.

His two young children broke my heart as they exited the church with their mom. The older boy, 10, was stoic and strong for his little sister, 7, who was sobbing with big red swollen eyes. I am grateful that my friend gave me yet another reminder of humility, positivity and appreciation for the present. Tonight, when I got back to the Gulf Coast, I snuck into my son’s room to kiss him goodnight and hug him a little longer than normal as he slept. I told my husband how much I love him and wish he could have been there with me. Tonight I celebrated the life of my friend who left us way too young at the age of 42, but in turn he reminded me of the fragility of life and made me live a little more.

PAY YOUR RESPECTS On March 14th, an old friend of mine passed away from Multiple Myeloma (bone marrow cancer). We had so...

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The Meal Appeal

COORDINATE A MEAL SCHEDULE

Clearly, I have gone from receiving phone calls about weddings and births to getting calls about aging parents, poor health and insurance policies.  I guess that is what getting older means.  My friend’s mother has been given 24 hours to live, so we are all waiting for the call to confirm that she is finally at peace in her forever home.  The last thing my friend needs to worry about right now is cooking for the crazy family members who have taken over her home, so one way to show we care is by coordinating a meal schedule for her.  There is a great website, Take Them a Meal, which allows you to invite friends and sign up for meal delivery.  This is great for not only funerals, but for single moms, new parents, new neighbors and elderly people who live alone.  Her mother loved my cooking, so it looks like preparing a pot roast dinner (her favorite) is in my future.

COORDINATE A MEAL SCHEDULE Clearly, I have gone from receiving phone calls about weddings and births to getting calls ab...

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A Braveheart Christmas Story

GIVE A THOUGHTFUL GIFT

We moved into our new neighborhood 18 months ago and my son, Brooks, met his first neighborhood friend, Jason Wallace.  My husband, whom I affectionately call “Hector the Collector” enjoys collecting many things in the music, sports and movie genres.  When I met him, he was collecting small ceramic David Winter houses, so his collections have improved greatly…and his nickname has evolved from “Grandma” to “Hector.”  My “Hector” has a replica sword collection from many popular movies.

The first time Jason came to the house, Brooks decided to take him on a tour of the memorabilia.  When they got to the sword collection, the conversation went something like this:

Brooks: “So this is our sword collection.  This one is from The Last Samurai.  This one is from Braveheart.”

Jason: “Braveheart?  Is that William Wallace’s sword?  <Brooks nods> If it is, that is my great great great great grandfather’s sword!  That should really belong to me!  Do you know what that is worth?  Probably like a million dollars!”

Brooks:   “Well, it isn’t worth that much, but maybe something like a few hundred thousand.”

At this point, I knew it was my time to intervene and explain that these were very affordable replica swords.  Nevertheless, Jason fell in love with the sword.

This Christmas, we thought it would be fun to get Jason his own Braveheart sword.  He came over on Christmas Eve and opened up his gift.  His jaw dropped and he kept asking, “this isn’t what I think it is?”  It was a Christmas Story moment, but instead of “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out” it was “You’ll Chop Your Foot Off!”  He began swinging the sword around and insisted on walking the two blocks home, flailing all the way.  I bet if you listened closely, you might have heard the Scottish ghosts screaming “FREEDOM!”  He forgot his sheath and came back later to get it.  Exhausted from carrying the heavy sword around the neighborhood, he fell asleep hugging it on the couch.  Our friends who were over at the house still tell the story about Jason’s sword and the spirit of Christmas.  His joy was a reminder of the magic of the season!

Mr. Wallace is smiling on the inside as he shows his mom the replica of his family's sword.

Mr. Wallace is smiling on the inside as he shows his mom the replica of his family’s sword.

The next night at dinner, my husband told us that he was saddened to hear that Jason had been at the hospital all day because he fell asleep with the sword and accidentally cut off his toe.  My mom gasped with concern!  I guess she still isn’t quick to recognize Scott’s sense of humor after all of these years.

What is the most thoughtful gift you ever received?

GIVE A THOUGHTFUL GIFT We moved into our new neighborhood 18 months ago and my son, Brooks, met his first neighborhood f...

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