Archive for December 2009

We had the pleasure of staying at the Heritage Inn on the British Virgin Island of Tortola a few years ago. And for those two weeks, we became a hit with the owner’s dogs, Bozo and Dipsy; and they, in turn, became a hit with us.

A routine in our relationship with the dogs quickly developed. Each morning as Bill and I made breakfast, our two canine friends quietly appeared on the deck, breathing in the aroma of scrambled eggs and oatmeal coming from our little kitchen. It must have been the clanking of the dishes—or maybe it was simply the smell of our hot breakfast food—that signaled to them it was time to visit the nice Midwest couple in room #8.

The daily ritual

Like clockwork, they’d show up and chill just on the other side of our screen door. Bozo and Dipsy would watch our every move with intense focus, in the most polite and respectful manner. They wouldn’t make a sound or bother us or interrupt our cooking procedure. Sometimes we’d pretend for a moment not to Read more »

For the very first time I have been struggling with writing my next post. I do have two full pages of great topics on following your joy that I am so excited for and can barely wait to write about! But this week I had a hard time finding the inspiration to put words together. Really, it’s a quite simple task, but I was making it too complex and got lost in my head.

And then my dear friend, Liv, magically sent this picture of her adorable little angel toddler, Truman (“Tru,” we call him), in his “JOY” outfit…and everything became clear.

First off, Tru is our godson (lucky us!). The last time Bill and I were with their family, we watched in amazement as Tru went about his little world–full of wonder, curiosity, and awe; in full-out exploration of everything in his surroundings. He threw his head back with full-body giggles when the dog did something goofy. He studied his big brother’s every movement and “Star Wars” poses as though he were learning a new trade. He gazed adoringly at his mom and dad with eyes that said “I love you” like nothing else in the world mattered.

Tru inhaled each breath slowly. He was alert and awake to everything around him. He stopped what he was doing to Read more »

[Be sure to first read Is Front Row Asking Too Much?, Part I]

There wasn’t much time to bask in the afterglow from the concert the night before. This was a new day, and tickets needed to be scored! Previously, I said I wanted front row seats for this second of two Neil Diamond shows, and in the back of my mind I wondered how realistic that really was. And after such a fantastic experience the night before, could this now be asking too much?

But I held strong. Why not?

Expecting the best

Once again, there were no good seats available for the show that night and tickets on the broker websites were exorbitantly priced. As Bill headed out for work that morning, he pulled one of his Hawaiian shirts out of the closet and said, “I’m gonna wear this tonight. It’s my new ‘front row center’ shirt!” Have you heard that old adage: “Act as if”? Well, my trusting hubby was acting as if we would be sitting in the front row. What a great attitude to choose, and I figured I better adopt it as well. I had nothing to lose!

Our plan for the evening was to Read more »