MINDFUL MOMENTS

On Monday, late afternoon my friend and I got two large cheesy bread orders from a local pizzeria. I remember going up to the counter to pay for my order and thinking, "Wow, $25.00 for this meal seems like a lot of money." Today is Thursday and I've changed my mind. I was able to have 5 meals from those two large cheesy breads. My friend had two meals out of them and I had three. Four sauces were included with our cheesy bread too. The reason I feel fortunate today is because I had a long day at work and when I got home I was hungry. I remember putting some of the cheesy bread that lacked cheese on it in a storage bag and wanting to feed the birds but instead I warmed up a pan with olive oil and grilled the leftover bread. I sprinkled some cheese on top and dipped the bread in marinara sauce and thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my meal. Sometimes we fret about mistakes we think we've made but now I have no regrets because that $25.00 meal on Monday ended up costing on...

It comes every year, March 17th, the day to celebrate Saint Patricks Day with music, parades, parties, drinking, eating, and wearing green.  There are over 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish heritage so the joyful celebration is enjoyed in many countries. IRELAND, the Emerald Isle with enchanting beauty is a country famous for many things; Leprechauns, Shamrocks, Guinness Beer, Irish Coffee, Irish Whiskey, Music, Riverdance, Genius riters, Farms with Cows and Sheep, Amazing Cheese, Ice Cream, Beef Stew, Soda Bread, Shepherds Pie, Salmon, Corned Beef, Cabbage, and more. When it comes to scenery, Ireland has it all from the ocean waters to the towering cliffs, to lush farmland and majestic mountains, crystal clear lakes, and winding country roads with charming villages in each county. Yes, the Irish certainly are lucky.  I've been to Ireland twice, the first time I travelled solo through Dublin, Dingle Peninsula, Killarney National Park,  and the Ring of Kerry. I s...

CUPCAKE: A small cake baked in a cup-shaped container and typically iced. When you make cupcakes you mix up cake batter and instead of baking it in large pans, pour it into a cupcake or muffin pan. Cupcakes are wonderful for celebrations and are a popular dessert with kids and adults. After church service today I went downstairs to the piano room in hope of practicing but instead I found a large table filled with all kinds of cupcakes. Minutes later folks gathered in line to enjoy cupcakes, donuts, and coffee. Those cupcakes caught my eye immediately and I couldn't resist taking a picture of them before they were snatched. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to a table to sit down. It was so relaxing to sit and watch kids anxiously heading back and forth to the table for more cupcakes and donuts. About a half hour later everyone slowly left and I headed to the piano room to play some songs but I couldn't stop thinking about those  CUPCAKES! Although eating too many ...

When we think of WINTER, we think of cold dark days and snow but there's another thing that WINTER comes with and that's ICE. There are wonderful things associated with the word ice; ice coffee, ice cubes, ice cream, ice fishing, and ice skating. However when ice accumulates and freezes up walking paths, parking lots, trails, sidewalks, and streets, that's another matter. Although "WINTER" is coming to a close, these past couple months in northern Michigan have been icy, icy, icy. So icy that many Michiganders have found themselves falling on ice. Let me tell you falling on ice is not only embarrassing but it's painful too. Some folks even end up in the hospital with broken bones concussions, and terrible cuts and bruises. I too fell on ice. A week ago this past Friday, I was heading to a stream to look at the ducks and boom, I slipped and fell on my back, buttocks, neck, and head....one after another, boom, boom, boom. Thankfully I got up without any broken b...

COMPETITION, it's all around us. There's competition in school, work, sports, relationships, heck even animals compete for food, and a mate. Now more than ever, competition seems even harder with social media and comparisons. It's so hard to stand out and be a shining star. Some people get lots of appreciation and attention, while others are just a tiny dot in this big vast world. No wonder some of get depressed and insecure. But we don't have to let completion control us. We can find contentment in being happy with the small things, like being satisfied that at least we tried our best. Success comes in all shapes and sizes. One doesn't have to be a famous politician, movie star, or sports figure to feel important. All of us are part of the big puzzle that keep the world ticking. If you're feeling defeated, just know that there's always an opportunity out there. Sooner or later, you'll have that chance to be a bright shining star in the vast sky. Recentl...

  What I thought was going to be a fun-filled Saturday with my male companion turned into a disaster. It was my day off and I had hoped to take a day trip to the countryside to ski or to go to the city to shop. I was quietly doing some work on my computer  that morning when all of a sudden my friend demanded that I cook him something to eat. While he was in the bathroom I got some ingredients together and began cooking on my stove top. Minutes later my male companion got into a rage and screamed, "How can you cook me such horrible food? Who do you think I am, a homeless person who eats food from a shelter?" He tossed the food into a pot and stormed out the door. I was so frustrated with Mr. Nameless that I went outside to take a walk. When I came back inside my condo, he was was back, this time screaming that he received a call to go to work and needed to borrow some gasoline money. I told him I was short on cash and then he really blew it. He began throwing everything he cou...

Do you own a wallet? Most people do because it's where they carry their driver's license, credit card, cash, and other important items. Imagine losing your wallet and frantically searching for it for hours and not finding it? That's what happened to me on Wednesday evening when I returned from work. I realized that I had misplaced my wallet when my friend invited me for dinner. Fortunately I didn't need my wallet since he was treating me to dinner but the next morning I had to go to work and still no sign of my wallet. I called the bus company BATA since I take the bus regularly. That was the last place that I had my wallet, on the #14 bus that departed my place of work at 5:55 pm. I called BATA and no lost wallet was found. I left a message with the supervisor Zack and less than an honor later he called me to find out what bus I was on and about what time I was on that bus. Zack was so kind and helpful. I prayed and prayed for a miracle and my miracle occurred thirty m...