Author Archives: tdem54

Dear Readers, In today’s blog post, I titled the poem as the prayer of St. Francis.It was really a part of the lyrics from the hymn,”Let There be Peace on Earth, and Let It Begin with Me.” This was written in 1955 by Jill Jackson and Sid Miller. The Prayer of St Francis author isContinue reading “My Apologies”

In public restrooms, I encounter drama. At a large amusement park, women’s bathrooms are crowded with women lined to use the stalls. No one was using the handicapped stall, so my daughter opened the door for me and resumed her place in line. While I was using the commode, I heard a commotion outside myContinue reading “Disable Hierarchy January 21,2021”

I come by my story telling from my Grandfather Turnbull. Clifford was interested in the ancestry of the Turnbull clan. In his research, he traced the family back to the origins of the Turnbull surname. Cliff traced the migration of the Turnbull’s leaving Scotland from a small fishing village on the eastern shore to sailContinue reading “Grandpa Clifford’s Stories”

As Tevye stated in “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Send us the cure. We have the disease already!” Waiting for a turn at being vaccinated can be as stressful as the past 10 months. Two companies Pfizer and Moderna, have a vaccine. Johnson and Johnston is close to approval. So why is the vaccine so hardContinue reading “Waiting for the Vaccine January 14, 2021”

I have a different way of keeping the house clean and tidy. When I was taking courses at the School for the visually Impaired in Kalamazoo, they taught the clients to use a broom and sweep a small section of floor and use a dust pan to pick the refuse. I kept missing where IContinue reading “The cleaning touch January 12, 2021”

One of the joys of being a new mother and a speech Pathologist is anticipating baby’s first words. I waited and listened as my daughter played with the open mouth sounds of B, M, D, guttural G and vowel ah paired with them. Would the first words be the da da for her Daddy, orContinue reading “A baby’s First words January 7 ,2021”

The Holiday, Epiphany, is celebrated between the 12 days after Christmas. January 6th is the celebration of the Magi’s visit to the Christ child. They used a star for a guide to find the king of the Jews. This year we are being treated to a rare astrological occurrence. The planets Jupiter and Saturn areContinue reading “Epiphany January 5, 2021”

Unlike many couples, we didn’t go out for a holiday dinner and toast the new year with champagne. My husband worked for the post office and was scheduled to work on New year day to do maintenance on the sorting machines. We went to bed early so John could get to work by 6:30. ButContinue reading “New Year Celebrations in the past December 31, 2020”

Some people think that putting away Holiday decorations is a depressing activity. My task is to take the ornaments off the tree. I find that removing an ornament I can feel it and remember where and why it was purchased. This is a relaxing activity for me. I fondle a group of tin toys. AContinue reading “December 29, 2020 A time to Put Away”

At this time of the year, especially this year, I thank God for the light. On the darkest and shortest day of the year, I am grateful for a glimmer of the light that I can see. My memory supplies the rest. The past year I have been thankful for the support of family, friendsContinue reading “The light in the world December 22, 2020”