MINDFUL MOMENTS

Thanksgiving weekend is drawing to an end in the U.S.A.  Many Americans take this time of year to be with family and friends. It's one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, even during the covid pandemic. It's also the time of year that the homeless aren't forgotten either. Almost every community has a group of volunteers that prepare a festive meal and invite the homeless to partake in their own Thanksgiving. In Washington DC, President Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff joined chef Jose Andres at the D.C. Central Kitchen. Together they put together meal kits that would later be distributed to homeless shelters and schools. This took place on Tuesday, the 23rd of November. It's a proven fact that showing gratitude makes humans happier. It shouldn't just be done on Thanksgiving Day, we should be thankful everyday for something in our life. Do you have your five senses? Do you have shelter? Do...

It happened today, my Angel was with me at the piano. How else could I have possibly played the piano so well since I rarely practice anymore. It was one of those miserable days in northern Michigan, cloudy, cold, snowy, windy......the ideal day to be at church. When the service was over I went downstairs to a room where an old piano stands. It was donated by the church administrator who has granted me permission to play it whenever I like. This afternoon I was so grateful to have two entire hours all alone at the piano, playing some songs from my music book, and others from memory. Since I rarely practice anymore it just doesn't make sense that I hardly made any mistakes, that's why I know my guardian angel was there guiding me along. Music is so healing, when you're feeling down, it lifts you up and that's exactly what happened today. If you're having moments of sorrow, turn to music. It doesn't matter what style of music it is either. We all have our favorite...

SOMETIMES, loneliness is the biggest challenge. I think all of us face that at one time or another. Days when you feel like nobody is on your side. That's why I'm so thankful for nature. The other day I was eating lunch on the beach. The weather was cold, damp, and wet and nobody was around. Just as I took one of the last bites of my sandwich, three ducks appeared. They walked right up to me with no fear. They wanted something to eat. Oh, how I regretted only having a small piece of food to give them. The three ducks shared the piece of food but there wasn't any left for the lone seagull who kept crying, and crying. Of all the days, why couldn't I have extra food on me? Those ducks and seagulls wanted me to feed them and they were so trustworthy that they all gathered right in front of me. All my loneliness vanished because these adorable creatures warmed my heart, counting on me to be their friend. I know I can return to Clinch Park again but the chances of those three...

SHOPPING these days is really a bit of a nuisance, no wonder loads of people are turning to internet shopping like Amazon. It's quick and easy and you can avoid crowds. Earlier this year I threw away my favorite pair of tall boots. They were slowly falling apart and for the money it cost to repair them I was better off buying a new pair. I thought it would be simple to buy a new pair of tall boots, was I ever wrong. My first stop was the local shopping mall. I went to three different shoe stores and had no success. Next was the resale shop, no success there either. Finally I headed to my favorite store downtown on Front Street called "Golden Shoes." A sweet and helpful woman named Emily provided me with first rate service. Emily made me feel like a celebrity.  Emily showed me a variety of shoes that caught my interest most notably a pair of gorgeous black tall boots made in Spain. They fit perfectly and they were absolutely stunning. "You should get them. They look g...