Family and Friendship

Creating Memories

Backstory

My daughters and I were laughing about a party held at our big New Jersey home decades ago, when they were still small. It was hilarious to hear their take on the party from their aspect, as a young child on the side-lines.

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Creating Memories – #603

Recently, I told you about the surprise birthday party in my honor. It lasted one afternoon. But the aftermath is what I want to share with you. Because that event had a life of its own. It was like seeing a movie that keeps repeating in your head.

For weeks, I went to sleep remembering a vignette or a conversation or a hug shared that afternoon. I knew the memories of that day would be with me forever.

But the good part is that it gets to play over and over WITH OTHER PEOPLE as well. Every time I get together with a friend who was there, or a relative who helped plan or run the event, the warm rush of affection happens all over again. I hear what THEY took away; entirely different from what I did.

So the gift provided by the folks who planned and attended that surprise party did NOT fill just one afternoon. It became another story that is part of my life. How precious!

So I have a suggestion for you. If you are invited to a surprise party . . . or any such event . . . GO! Make the time, go out of your way to get there. Does it matter if you are in the crowd? Yes, it does.

You are giving the gift of time and sharing, to someone you care for, who no doubt loves you in return. The scope of the gift you provide by your attendance is immeasurable. It will pleasure the person honored with happy memories and provide stories to tell, for years to come. Don’t miss it. Be there.

P.S.

We celebrated my mom’s 75^th birthday some 20 years ago, and family members are still posting photos, remembering the laughs and memories it conjured up. We plan to put those photos together into a book. Of course, we have planned that, for twenty years now.

[Show #603]

Christmas Stories At the Club

Backstory

Last year, I wrote a book of Christmas stories from Consider This. The book is available this year too, on Amazon. Tiny Little Stories of Christmas Joy, Love and Wonder.

I was gathering up stories for the book when I was asked to present a Christmas program at a Rotary Club meeting. I shared a few of my stories and asked who had their own story to share. We entered a world of reminiscence, emotion and love, as these personal stories were told.

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Christmas Stories At the Club – #660

At the local Rotary Club, members arrange programs for the weekly meetings. This year, I had to arrange the program right before Christmas.

I asked Rotarians to bring and tell their own Christmas stories – stories of a Christmas past. For my story, I read a script from one of my Consider This radio shows. In it, a young pastor was inspired by the way a mom and dad taught their young children the meaning of Christmas. Their story became the essence of his Christmas sermons for the next 50 years.

Another Rotarian recalled the Christmas when his dad was out of work. There was no money for a tree. He scraped together $3, walked three miles to where the trees were being sold, and dragged a scrawny tree – all he could afford – all the way home in the snow. Although he was just 16, he took responsibility for his family’s good Christmas.

There were stories of gratitude for gifts provided by the Club. Tales of elderly who were brought happiness by a Christmas visit. A veteran club member told of spending Christmas on a war-torn island in the Pacific.

Even those who told no story out loud seemed to be filled with private memories that were remembered. It was such a good program – just sharing special moments with people who had become friends through the fellowship of giving, caring and being proud Americans.

P.S.

While you are about your chores and business this holiday season, ask others about their most memorable Christmas – good or bad. Invite them to share a story. You may be amazed at how people will respond. The story telling seems to shake loose old holiday memories. They may be ordinary or off the wall. But it’s usually true. Like the man said, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

[Show #660]

Great Moments

Backstory

It’s a spot; a moment in time that is indelible in your memory. It may be a seminal moment – or a simple gesture or word. But it is burned into your mind, to be remembered forever.

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Great Moments – #707

What great moments of your life do you remember?

One of mine, was my Mom’s 75^th birthday. My sisters’ and I wanted to throw a party at a nice hotel. But she wanted a family affair at our farmhouse here in the Shenandoah Valley.

We had just recently bought the house as a weekend retreat. It was over 100 years-old and it needed everything. The plaster walls had cracks, the kitchen had a rickety stove from the 1930’s. We had very little furniture yet, and you just might fall through the floor in one or two of the rooms.

But Mom was adamant that this was to be the site of her big birthday shindig. So, we hung crepe paper on the walls to cover the cracks, sat a door on saw horses as a party table, brought in mix-matched folding chairs, turned up the radio, invited the neighbors and had so much, that 15-years later it still pops into my mind as a great moment.

Just think, something that happens to you today may become the great moment that you’ll talk about 15-years from now.

You just never know what life holds when you go around the next corner.

Ain’t it just great!

P.S.

What great moment pops into YOUR mind? Scroll down and share it, if you can.

[Show #707]

If You Are

Backstory

We tend to admire those whose behavior is exemplary. We warm to them and love grows. This week’s story is about those who are held in such high regard. Take a moment now and consider whether these traits sound familiar.

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If You Are… – #348

If you can start the day without caffeine; if you’re always cheerful ignoring aches and pains; if you eat the food placed before you each day and never complain; if you understand when loved ones are too busy to give you much time; if you can conquer tensions without medical intervention, relax without liquor, and sleep without the aid of drugs; if you can do all these things, then you’re probably the family dog.

Yes, that unsung family hero who is always there, willing to give you all the attention you want. To play with you or comfort you, to make you smile. Here’s to the aging house pet whose still thinks he’s a puppy. To the Chihuahua who growls like a lion, to the Cocker Spaniel with its mournful eyes.

Thanks for being such a content and loyal family member. Thanks for giving us stories we can tell to entertain others. Thanks for teaching our kids love and patience, and the concepts of responsibility.

Whether large or small, black, brown or white; you have captured our hearts, found a place in our homes and will absolutely be remembered in our family folklore for years to come.

P.S.

What is the name of the four-footed friend who fits the bill for you? Be sure you have a good photo to add to the family album.

[Show #348]

Private Moment for Moms

Backstory

I had just received a compliment on how well my grown children turned out. I started thinking about what it took to get them there. The more I thought about what mothers achieve, the more amazed I was. This story was the result.

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Private Moment for Moms – #288

This is a little private moment for the mothers in our audience. Did you ever think you’d be able to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Where did we learn how to do things like that? What magical power was bestowed upon us for the years when our families needed us 24/7? Where did we get the patience to sit and rock for hours on end soothing a crying baby who refused to be comforted? Sometimes we know exactly what to do . . . and sometimes we don’t.

So this is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can’t find the words to reach them. This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peace loving and now pray they come home safely from a war.

The emotions of motherhood are universal and our thoughts today are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation… And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mom and married moms. Mothers with money, mothers without.

Hang in there. In the end, we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them and show them besides. And pray and never stop being a mom. No, never stop.

[Show 288/504]

Edited and updated May 26, 2019.

Tribute to Moms

Backstory

Some friends and I were talking about the things moms do for their kids. The discussion was hilarious as we evoked memories of funny or trying or absurd experiences. We talked about the things we were willing to do, because – well, because that’s what moms do. The next time I sat down to write, those stories came pouring back; not as jokes this time, but as a celebration of what moms do and who they are.

Tribute to Moms – #287

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This show is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors…and for all the mom who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games so they could SHARE that magic moment with their kids.

This is for the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store, and for those who count to ten instead. It’s for the moms who go hungry, so their children can eat. For those who read “Goodnight, Moon” twice a night for a year…and then read it again. “Just one more time.”

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school….and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. This show celebrates the moms who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. This for the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see…and the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls “Mom?” in a crowd, even though they know their own kids are at home— or away at college—or have their own families.

Mom is the one who provides a soft landing – no matter how old her children are. Thank goodness moms come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Thank goodness moms are there.

P.S.

I hope you enjoyed today’s tribute to moms. If it hit home, go call a mom who deserves credit and give her some love.

[Show #287]

Edited and updated May 19, 2019.

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