NO PARTICULAR REASON HODGEPODGE!

     Joyce has come up with some real doozies this week. I don't know how she does it, but I am glad that she does. It's a lot of fun to answer these weekly posers and give my readers a glimpse behind the curtain. Thank you, Joyce!

1. My sister is celebrating a birthday today. Happy Birthday little sis! What's one way you're like your siblings?  If you don't have siblings how are you like your lifelong best friend or cousin?

     One thing I share with my brother is the joy of singing. I love to sing, notwithstanding the fact that I'm not very good at it. We also share an affinity for eating out at restaurants with family and friends.

2.  What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of yourself at age eighteen?

     Ignorant! I did not know nearly as much as I thought I did. Over the ensuing years I have learned how much I did not know way back then. By the grace of God, and only by the grace of God, I am still alive, I am still happily married and I am still learning.

3. Sculptor-actor-painter-dancer...if you could excel in one of these arts, which would you choose and why?

   
     I think I would choose "Actor." An actor uses words as well as actions to tell a story. I am amazed at the power that carefully chosen words have to evoke a wide range of emotions. I enjoy crafting ideas with words and view acting as just another venue to do the same.

4. What's a scent that takes you back in time, and where does it take you?

   
     Cabbage boiling on a stove. The smell of cabbage is a mild form of the smell that a paper mill emits. My family used to periodically drive to Trois Rivieres (Three Rivers), Quebec, Canada, to visit with my father's older brother. On the way we drove through the town of Windsor, Quebec. There is a paper mill in Windsor that abuts the roadway and every time we drove by it we closed the windows, no matter how hot it was, to try and keep the smell out. It never worked, but it's the thought that counts...yeah right! The smell was really potent!

5. November is for Peanut Butter Lovers (National Peanut Butter Lovers Month).  Are you a lover or a hater?  What's your favorite dish/recipe that calls for peanut butter? 

     I am definitely a peanut butter lover. My favorite peanut butter is Skippy Extra Chunky. My favorite recipe is what we in the northeast call a "Fluffernutter." It is peanut butter and marshmallow fluff between two slices of bread. Yummm! I also love peanut butter cups, Reese's of course.

6. What do people thank you personally for most often?

     I really don't know. SWMBO sometimes thanks me for loving her and for being there for her. Sometimes people will thank me for "really" listening to them and for my counsel, especially if what I advise them to do works out for them. I like to think that I'm kind and compassionate and I am sometimes thanked for "really" caring.

7. What event this year are you most thankful for?

     There are two, SWMBO's birthday and our wedding anniversary. I have come to cherish and appreciate them more now then when we first became "us" for reasons most of you know, or at least can guess.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

     I have attended many funerals during my life time. I really dislike going to funerals for many reasons. That being said, I am often struck by the kind things that people say about the dearly departed after they have passed. I find myself wanting to ask if they told the dearly departed those kind words while they were alive. In some cases I think that I know the answer to that question...probably not!
     I try to make it a point to tell the people in my life how much I appreciate them for who they are and for being in my life. I try to tell them the kind, heart-felt things that I am sure to share with their loved ones in the event, may God forbid, I attend their funeral. 
     So, I encourage all of you to let the people in your life know how much you love and appreciate them...now, while they can still hear you! 
     I am profoundly grateful for so many people that it is my privilege to have in my life and whose life of which I am a part.