CONSIDER THIS with Annette Petrick

Timely perspectives on life, love, friends, family, giving back, and giving thanks

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Reviews

Your pieces never fail to encourage and inspire me! In this crazy world, we need your wonderful, uplifting messages.
Elizabeth Cottrell, Virginia

Thanks for the programs. Love them as always … consolidate them all in a book. I think there is real potential for a best seller. 
Donna Resta, New Jersey

I love these recent (shows). I was in a meeting with my staff and I hope you don’t mind me using the one titled “Hit by Brick” to get their attention as well! You are one of the best souls that the Creator has created and I pray to God for more people like you throughout this universe. 
Abdul Al-nawasreh, Kuwait

It is moving, inspiring and beautiful. . . Maybe it is simply the joy of finding words to express the inexpressible. 
Sharon Isralow, Washington, DC

Life goes so very fast and “Consider This” continually reminds me of what is really important in this fast moving trip. Faith, family, friends, and kindness, all featured in “Consider This,” are always values to spend some time considering. 
Bob Claytor, Virginia

Really liked your two shows on Mothers. Very special. As are you. 
Imo K. Todd, Alabama

Your show is one of the avenues we use to divert the ailments. He generally plays them at night when the pain wakes him up. 
Toni Natale, New Jersey

I really liked your change message. Keep them coming.
Mark Anderson, Illinois

Let me tell you how much joy your “Consider This” sound bites bring to my life. . . You are so delightful — you, the person, your writings, the way you deliver the message. 
Janie McKenna, Maryland

These are wonderful! Thanks for sharing. 
Karen Thomas, Florida

I have to admit, both (shows) had me reflecting on my own life and my friends’ lives…brought me to tears. There has to be a balance in life and I am trying to recapture a balance before too long. Good for you to bring those sentiments to the forefront to give the listener a time to reflect on their own situation. 
Connie Whitley, Virginia

Good ones! 
Jan Gentry, Texas

Nice job on the Mother’s Day Consider This! 
Karyn Rosypal, Pennsylvania

Listening to your shows…you are part of my thoughts more often that you can imagine. 
Alain Courchesne, Quebec, Canada

Could we please have permission to attach Consider This Program 298 to this email when we send it out to the community?  
Earl Schmidt, Virginia

Those were good! You are making a difference with your unique messages. 
Doug Clark, Texas

Your Women’s Strength piece really cheered me on today. 
Susan Thompson, Virginia

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About

ABOUT CONSIDER THIS

The radio show Consider This with Annette Petrick Is broadcast several times a day.  I’ve been writing and recording the shows for the last 15 years. It’s a minute and a half long story about life, love and making a difference. 

Stories are popular with busy people like you, who stop by for fast entertainment and assurance of kindness, caring and smiles.  It’s like getting a shot of inspiration or assurance as you pass by.

To deliver the stories beyond radio range, we gathered up more than 500 episodes and brought them over here to the Internet.

  • Come and read or listen to a story any time you want.
  • Let us deliver a show to you by email every Sunday morning.
  • As you share stories with friends, we create even more smiles.

Stories are about lives where joy, wonder and happiness exist but are often overlooked.   A true-life story may have an unexpected turn. There may be a lesson, counsel or opinion.  It could be a reminder, a reminiscence or a rant.  Curiosity shouts to me, “I want to know the story.”  So I write it.

 

ABOUT ANNETTE PETRICK

The speaker behind the podium at the national convention – that was me. Did that for years.  Interacting with audiences, I saw serious need for hope and optimism. I started inserting a touch of encouragement and inspiration to my stage. Before long, positivity became our most popular topic.

Now my energy goes into stories for people in the fast lane, who just need a shot of inspiration or assurance as they pass by. Our stories also reach out to the mature audience of my peers. We relate empathetically.

On a personal note, husband Bill and I live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, with all its small town charm and shortcomings. We belong to the Chamber, lunch at the Moose Lodge, attend Music in the Park and work on Rotary committees. I even served as president one year.

My three grown children are scattered throughout New Jersey and Michigan with a bunch of grandkids and a great one too.  Pandemic has kept us apart for nearly a year. You know how hard that is.

Should you, for some unknown reason, be curious about my past, and the four major loves of my life, here’s a link to a PDF book that goes up to about five years ago.  

If you were here with me, I’d invite you to pull up a rocker and sit with me here on the front porch while we talk about love, family, giving and gratitude. I may have to ask you to wear your mask.

Just Like You

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Backstory  

The song was from the If You’re Going Through Hell album by country singer, Rodney Atkins. It was titled Watching You and it was released in 2006.  It’s the tearjerker behind this story.

Just Like You  

There’s a country song I love. A father is singing about his young son who lets loose with a profanity. “Where did you learn to speak like that?” the father demands. “From you daddy,” the child responds. “I wanna be just like you.”

Later in the song, the father is redeemed when he hears his son speak original words to God and asks where he learned to pray like that. “From you daddy”, the child responds. “I wanna be just like you.”

How often do we wonder where one of our children gets an attitude, or a prejudice, or passion? Often, we just need to look in the mirror to find the source. The things that you say and do everyday influence everyone around you; for the good, and for the bad.

So, when you decide what kind of stance to take, think twice about what you say. The position you take may well become the same one your children will carry into the next generation. You may never hear your child say, “Mommy, I want to be just like you.” But how often has it occurred to you, “Oh my God, I have become my mother” or “I have become my father.”

When that thought occurs to your child, make sure it makes them smile, not frown. And when your children become you, make sure they can be proud of the person they’ve become. 

P.S.   

In 2021, there is more need than ever for parents to display the traits you want offspring to emulate. Are you standing up against bullying?  Have you explained ways to channel anger? Have you practiced conversations that respect all points of view? Kids are on a new playing field these days that may require patient consideration and discussion.  Be sure your children can find that at home.

[Show #485]

Give a Bit More

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Backstory  

My sister was behind two women in a McDonald line. They were fumbling with their change to pay.  She stepped up, paid for their food and added a few more meals besides.  How did she know they were needy? Why did she step up, even though her own needs were many?

Give a Bit More –  #12

Have you ever been tagged by someone who is paying forward? A stranger may pickup the tab for your lunch, or your coffee, or pay your toll on the highway. It’s a nice gesture that can make someone’s day and can cost no more than a few cents or a few dollars.

To the person on the other end, those dollars may mean far more than they do in your pocket. For those of us who are holding our own in this economy, now is the time to give a little more than usual.

Make your tips more generous in restaurants, give a few bucks to the guys at the car wash, or the happy dollars jar at the Rotary Club meeting.  Buy some extra groceries next time you’re food shopping and drop them off at a local food bank.

Haven’t worn it for two years? Donate it to the local thrift shop. Buy $4.25 worth of stuff at a yard sale, give them a five and tell them to keep the change.

You’re paying forward for the blessings about to come into your life as well as those you already enjoyed, for the beautiful day, for the love around you, for the peace we have all enjoyed for so long.

Give a little and get a lot in return. Something to consider!

P.S.   

It’s a new year.  Set new, higher standards for generosity and philanthropy.  And if money is tight, consider giving something even more important – your time. 

[Show #12]

My Sister

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Backstory  

When I began speaking in public, a mentor advised, “They may not remember who you were or what you said, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.”  That’s what my sister Karyn leaves behind.  (Be sure to read the P.S. to this story.)

Click to listen or follow below to read.

My Sister –  #503

My sister and I were having a discussion about what we wanted to leave for posterity; what we wanted people to remember about us when we’re gone. My sister is a very spiritual person; learned in religions of the world, yoga student, teacher of meditation and other skills for achieving tranquility and ease of well-being. I can imagine that she leaves many people with the tools to find serenity.

My sister has found that inner place for herself. Her daily ritual of meditation is often held in conference with nature. When she’s at the ocean, she ventures out in the darkness before sunrise, finds a comfortable place within eyesight of the ocean and lets the calming waves bring her into the new day. What joy she must achieve, for herself only, for this is a time of inner focus.

And the rest of her day is spent outward bound in the creativity of a writer, a genealogist, a grandmother, a gifted crafter and a would-be businesswoman whose strategic plan usually reverts back to meditation rather than achievement.

She is a full circle success, my sister. And her legacy will be the joy known by anyone who has made her acquaintance. You would remember her red hair, her welcoming smile, and that you felt instantly at ease in her presence.

Some of us leave monuments for posterity, others leave the gift of just having known them.

P.S.   

You’ll find my sister, Karyn Romani, these days at The Positivity Tree. She has joined her  daughter Ella Miller to become a cultivator of positivity rooted in optimism. The Positivity Tree is about being curious, empathetic, self-aware, balanced, less stressed and more appreciative in life.  Together, they explore how to bring more optimism to work, home, family, relationships and life. It’s a beautiful place.  https://www.thepositivitytree.com

[Show #503]