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...

HALLOWEEN traces its roots to the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain which was celebrated on the night of October 31. The ancient Celts believed the dead returned to earth on Samhain and would celebrate with bonfires and other practices to honor the deceased. The Celts who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the an area that is now known as Ireland celebrated their new year on November the 1st.  Whether you celebrate Halloween wearing a costume, trick or treating, eating candy, attending a party, touring a haunted house or watching a movie, it's interesting to know how Halloween came about. For me Halloween was plain and simple. After work I stopped at a cafe to get my Mother a sandwich and soup and then walked two miles to her condo. My Mother who has Alzheimers enjoyed her sandwich and soup, as did her cat Sari. Afterwards we ate some delicious fudge made by Trappist monks from Kentucky (my brother ordered the fudge as a gift). I also walked around the old buildings of a 20th ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATO! 💖 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST FATHER IN THE WORLD. MY FATHER ROMAN WAS SO GIFTED AND SMART. TO THIS DAY I CHERISH ALL THAT HE TAUGHT ME. IF HE WAS STILL ALIVE TODAY HE'D BE ACCOMPLISHING ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER, BECAUSE HE WAS ALWAYS PRODUCTIVE AND FULL OF UNIQUE IDEAS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATO. I KNOW YOU LOVED MANY DIFFERENT FOODS, ESPECIALLY GERMAN AND UKRAINIAN SPECIALTIES! ENJOY YOUR DESSERTS IN HEAVEN!

Today I honor and remember my "TATO" which means father in Ukrainian. He was born on October 2nd but passed away several years ago from cancer. Every October 2nd is difficult for me because I often wonder what more my TATO would have accomplished if he had more years, weeks, days, and moments on this earth. His name was Roman George Lypeckyj, he was born in Ukraine and spent his childhood there as well as in Germany. In his teens he moved with his parents and brother to the United States. My TATO spoke four languages, had a Masters Degree in Economics, and worked for over 20 years at Ford Motor Company. He accomplished a lot in his life. He was adventurous, charming, giving, kind, intelligent, talented, full of wisdom and so much more! I always addressed him as "TATO" because that's what he wanted to be called. He was an incredible man and I'm honored to have been his daughter.                               ...