A New Year and a Time for Renewal

In a few short hours, we will be heralding a new year: 2010. People will be struggling with their New Year's resolutions, soon to be forgotten or thrown aside. The new year always arrives in the dead of winter, when everything around us is lifeless.

Winter is a time when nature takes a break--growth stops and plants and trees enjoy a respite from producing leaves and blossoms. They "die" for a season so that they can be revived in the springtime, when the rains offer refreshment and renewal.

Our lives also have the opportunity to be refreshed and renewed, through the power of Jesus Christ. We can "die" for a season, asking Jesus to take away that which is old and corrupt and creating in us a new heart--a heart that longs for refreshment and renewal.

It's a choice that each of us must make on our own, choosing to live a life that brings glory to God and doing those things that please Him. The first step is to ask Jesus Christ into our lives.

"By the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." (Romans 5:18)

The Cycle of Life - Part 2

What could possibly be greater than the joy of holding your newborn son or daughter for the first time? Watching your father hold his great-grandson for the very first time and seeing the joy in his face as he beholds the tiny bundle that represents four generations.

Just as a father loves his child, Jesus loves His children with a love that is never-ending. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, and He longs for the day when we will share eternity with Him in the home He has prepared for us in heaven.

"In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2)

The Cycle of Life

As children, we can't wait to grow up and become adults. As adults, we look forward to getting married and having children. Then the cycle continues into grandparenting, one of the most wonderful times of all.

Once our own children are grown and have flown the nest, we find that we have more time on our hands. Time to write blogs, indulge in our hobbies, learn new things. We have time to spend with our grandchildren, teaching them new things and participating in the joy of watching them make new discoveries. We also have the opportunity to rediscover our childhood while playing with our grandchildren.

There is joy in playing "Candyland" with a 3-year-old, making snow angels in the front yard and building a snowman. Playing with a grandchild can be energy-draining, but it can also be exciting.

"And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof." (Zechariah 8:5) Children (and grandchildren) are held in high esteem in the eyes of the Lord. We are tasked with their care and learning and ensuring that they know about their Heavenly Father.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

"A man should be happy and enjoy his family, his friends and his food. These things will cheer him on his way through all the days God has given him." Ecclesiastes 8:15 (The Clear Word Version)

The holidays are the best time to enjoy good food with family and loved ones. It's a time to relax and to reflect on the past, the present and the future; a time to share the joys and sorrows each has experienced. It's a time to celebrate achievements, whether they be job-related, school-related, or simply a dream that has been fulfilled.

As we look to the new year, which is soon upon us, let's also remember the One who gives us breath each day and who celebrates each of our achievements with us. Without God, there is no life.

Christmas Tidings

"While they [Mary and Joseph] were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:6, 7 (New International Version)

Christmas is more than tinsel, toys, and trees. It's more than bargains and baking, presents and popcorn balls. The joy of Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth, and the joy begins in the heart. Once we accept Jesus into our hearts, the joy is abundant, and everything else is just "fluff".

As we enjoy the holidays with family and friends, let's remember the true meaning of Christmas. It is a season of giving and a season of renewal, all of which are gifts from the ultimate Gift Giver, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Beauty in the Desert

There is beauty all around us--sometimes we just have to take the time to find it.

When we think of beauty, we may picture an island in the tropics with crystal clear water, white sandy beaches and swaying palms. Or we might think of a snow-covered landscape with smoke curling above the chimney of a cabin nestled under a canopy of trees next to a winding river. Do we ever think of a hot, dry barren desert as a thing of beauty?

Temperatures in the desert can soar to over 100 degrees during the summer; not very comfortable for those of us who prefer cooler climates and air-conditioning. However, if you venture out early in the morning, before it gets hot, the sights that greet you can be as beautiful as anything on this earth.

"He hath made everything beautiful in His time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Like Children

"Except ye.... become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3, 4

There is no doubt that my husband and I will get into heaven, if all we have to do is to become as little children. Now, I know that the Bible is referring to something other than just acting like kids, but what if that were all we had to do?

We recently went for a drive down to the Snake River, where we had fun taking photos and tossing rocks into the river. Then we decided to take pictures of us tossing rocks into the river. Then....we decided to take pictures of the splashes made by the rocks we were tossing into the river.

Aaaaah, to be children again!

"Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3)

Children: You feed them, change their diapers, wipe their runny noses, tend their skinned knees, and wipe away their tears. Then they grow up, move away from home, go to college, get jobs, get married, and create new families of their own.

The cycle continues, generation after generation, passing down family traditions and keepsakes. And as such, each of us moves into new roles--from children to parents to grandparents. I don't even want to think about being a great-grandparent!

Being a grandparent is an awesome responsibility. It's more than feeding, changing diapers, wiping runny noses--you get the picture. It's sharing family history and teaching values. Sometimes, it's telling stories that even your children never heard (or never listened to)! It's holding up and honoring your children in the eyes of their children. It's respecting the rules of your children's household, now that they are parents with children of their own.

And it's a LOT of fun!

The Simple Life

Remember when life was simple? For many of us, it was a long, long time ago, in a faraway land when we were knee high to a grasshopper. Pleasures were simple: blowing bubbles, playing in a sandbox, trying to swing as high as the trees, playing in a wading pool.

Childhood memories are something that we never forget. We may not always remember everything, but there are always a few things that stand out in our minds, no matter how old we get.

For example, I remember when my brother and his friends climbed up on the top of the playhouse and slid down into the wading pool. The pool was only 15" deep, and they were probably lucky they didn't break their necks!

Then there was the time that my brother and his friend missed the school bus, so they decided to walk to school. It was 10 miles to the school, in another town, and the school called our mother and said her son was missing from school. You can imagine how well that was received!

When I was little, I remember playing in our wading pool in our backyard. (This was before my brother's escapade of jumping off of the playhouse roof!) Back in the days before plastic was commonplace, toys were made out of whatever we could find around the house. I was using an old one-pound Folger's coffee can to scoop water out of the pool. Unfortunately, I cut my hand on the rim of the can, and I still bear the scar to this day.

One time, one of my girlfriends and I had gone for a drive in my brand-new-to-me 1967 Ford Mustang. We were parked on the side of the road in the mountains taking photos when a huge boulder about half the size of a Volkswagen Beetle rolled down the side of the mountain. It bounced onto the road and off to the shoulder, where it landed about 50 feet in front of my car. Whew! That was close!

Memories: Some are happy, some are sad, but they are all a part of who we are. I wouldn't trade my memories for anything.

Donkey Makeover

Thirty years ago, Poncho joined our family. Actually, it wasn't much of a family at that time--there was just Mr. and Mrs. Anyway, Poncho was a gift for my birthday, and he has continued to stay with us through all of our moves. He is short in stature, but because he is made of solid concrete, he weighs about 75 pounds. Moving him is no easy task.

Over the years, he has begun to deteriorate. His coloring was fading and his hooves were gradually being worn down. Last weekend, I decided to give him a makeover. After spending an hour or so researching what type of paint to use, I went to the craft supply store and came home with a selection of paints, brushes and a spray fixative to protect his final coat.

Now he sports a shiny brown coat with black highlights and his cargo baskets are red with yellow accents. He packs a geranium plant in each of his cargo baskets and greets visitors on their way to the front door. I have to ask myself why I waited so long to give him a makeover! He looks like a brand new donkey!

Livin' in the Hood

Did you know that I live in the "hood"? I have lived through babyhood, toddlerhood, childhood, and motherhood. Now I am cruising through grandmotherhood and loving every minute of it.

As mothers, we spend years watching our children grow up, maturing from children into young adults. We don't expect them to present us with grandchildren, but when they do, it is a time of renewal and reminiscing. Watching my granddaughter explore her surroundings as she grows older reminds me of when my children were little. And watching my children as they interact with their children reminds me of my trials and tribulations as a mother.

Watching a grandchild explore the world of bubbles is an awesome experience and it's even more fun when you add a granddog! My granddaughter was blowing so hard, I thought she would pass out. My granddog was so busy trying to eat the bubbles that she probably has the cleanest intestines in the canine world!

The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

Well, I took that to heart today and decided to teach Morgan how to wash the cars. We filled a bucket with soapy water, handed her a sponge, and taught her how to use the hose (and very nearly squirted water into the neighbor's car, which had the windows rolled down). Oooops! I figure that by next year, she'll be ready to wash the car by herself!

Happy Mother's Day!

Once a year, a special day is set aside every year to honor mothers everywhere. Celebrations range from picnics to brunches to all-out banquets. Flowers and candy are the usual gifts. But what matters the most? People.

I was honored this year with the greatest Mother's Day gift ever: the gift of my children returning to the nest to say I love you, Mom. Not only did they return, but it was a total surprise.

I was sitting on the sofa on Friday evening when the doorbell rang and I saw someone running away. Thinking it was the neighbor kid (who, by the way, has never played "doorbell ditch"), I was slow to get up and answer it. Instead, my husband volunteered to go out and see who was there. I just sat on the sofa and continued to read my book. He came back in, closed the door and said he didn't see anyone. Seconds later, the door burst open (well, maybe not "burst") and in walked Becky and Ruth and Jason and my granddog, Raina. What a surprise! They had driven from Oregon/Washington to spend time this weekend with me and with Jason's mom, since she was also down here visiting her mom.

On Sunday, the girls--Rebecca, Rachel and Ruth--took me out to brunch. It was delicious! I wish I had photos to share, but they were taken on Ruth's camera.

Girls....thank you! I am glad you are my daughters!

Geocaching Made Easy?

Geocaching can be a lot of fun but it can also be very frustrating. First of all, geocaching is known worldwide; it's a game of hiding and seeking treasure. The "treasure" can be anything from a note to miniature toys to money (small sums, of course!). You start with a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS). Then you log on to a geocache website, such as geocaching.com, download coordinates into your GPS, hop into your car and drive off, following the directions from your GPS. That's the easy part. (Did you know there are almost 800,000 active geocaches worldwide?)





The frustrating part of geocaching is trying to locate the cache once you get to the right spot. Caches can be hidden under rocks, behind plants, on fence posts, in telephone booths--just about anywhere. The hardest ones to find are those in areas where there is a lot of development. Someone may have stashed a cache in the previous year but the area has now been leveled for construction. And some of the caches just simply do not exist any more.



I recently had the opportunity to go geocaching with my son-in-law. He has a lot more perseverance than I do. We found one in a phone booth inside a magnetic case under the telephone. It simply had a piece of paper with signatures of previous "finders". It was a relatively new cache, dating back to the previous month. Then we drove out into an undeveloped area and tromped around a couple of drainage ponds. In the process, my son-in-law lost his shoe in the swampy, sludgy grass surrounding the pond. But, he did not give up (as you can see in the photo) and he finally found the cache hidden under some rocks. I had already given up and headed back to the car.

My husband and I go geocaching once in awhile: I drive and he hunts. I like that arrangement much better. I call it teamwork!

"Great Little City With a Big Heart"

Oregon Trail history has always fascinated me. Just the fact that anyone would want to leave behind the relative safety and security of their homes in the east and head into the unknown of the west astounds me. It was a long and arduous journey, and many did not survive the elements along the way.



Along the trail are many small towns that were stopping points along the Oregon Trail. Some either flourished or faded away as the Oregon Trail era came to a close. One of those towns is Huntington, Oregon.



In the mid to late 1800s, Huntington was the last camp of the pioneers before they headed over the mountains down to the Columbia River. Before it became a major rail head for shipping cattle, it was also a stagecoach stop for weary travelers. Like many small towns, it also went through a time of bad "publicity", being known for its Chinese opium dens, saloons and gunslingers.



Recently, we took the opportunity to drive through Huntington on our way home from Washington. The town is only one square mile in size and has a population of just over 500 citizens. We found this old building, which was a restaurant in the early 1900s, that clearly identified "All White Help". It's hard to imagine that a small town, out in the middle of nowhere, felt the need to advertise that it's employees were white (versus black, Chinese, or any other color) in order to solicit business.

It would seem that the prejudices of the east followed the pioneers west. While most were looking for a better way of life, some of the biases and stigmas were still attached to the color of their skin.

I am so thankful that I have a loving God that doesn't care about skin color or physical abnormalities or education or financial status. He loves me. Period. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a world where everyone was loved by everyone, with no prejudices? Soon and very soon, Jesus is coming to take us to that world!

Small Town America

I have been working with students, staff, local law enforcement and the fire department of a small town in Oregon, just over the state line from Idaho, to help them coordinate an "Every 15 Minutes" program. The town of Adrian, Oregon, has a population of less than 150. In fact, in 2007, the official population was 141. The high school has 88 students in grades 9-12.

Over the weekend, we decided to take a drive to Adrian so we could take some photos and enjoy a picnic lunch. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. We enjoyed our picnic lunch in Parma, Idaho in the privacy of our van as the rain pelted the roof. It was a rather relaxing sound, and we stayed high and dry. After lunch, we continued the drive to Adrian, Oregon.

Because it was raining most of the time, we really didn't take as many photos as we wanted, but we did take a few photos of some interesting buildings.

As a small town, Adrian is very interesting. They don't have a McDonald's or Burger King; in fact, they don't even have a gas station. There's only one main street through town, which is the highway, and most of the buildings and storefronts sit empty, derelicts from a bygone era. I'm not really sure which businesses are actually open because everything looks abandoned, even during the middle of the day in the middle of the week. I think I saw a market that might be open, and a bar, but that's about it.

However, the people are wonderful to work with. We've met several people from the community, who are actively involved in putting together the "Every 15 Minutes" event. They are all dedicated to their community and to their school.

Would I want to live in a community that small? Probably not, since I have almost always lived in larger communities. But I can appreciate the closeness that the smaller towns have and envy their dedication.

Change: Why is it Difficult to Accept?

Change is a word that strikes fear in the hearts of many. Change can be defined as an alteration, a transformation, a substitution or a variation. We see change in the growth process, from babyhood to adulthood. The seasons also reveal signs of change. Change is extremely important in our lives. Without change, life would be boring, and we would be stuck in a rut. You've heard the saying "same old, same old". And I'm sure you've heard someone (especially a teenager) utter those two infamous words, "I'm bored". Actually, I have uttered those two words on occasion myself.

Change means survival. Some who see changes around them that they do not approve of become bitter, angry, disgusted or unhappy. They want "change" to go away. Does this also mean they would prefer to still be riding in a horse and buggy or storing their foods in an icebox? Probably not, but they are just not comfortable with change, even though it happens through a series of progressive events. Change usually doesn't happen overnight.

What we must decide is how we are going to respond to changes. How do we stay positive? Through transformation, which can only be accomplished through the Holy Spirit. We must be reconciled to God. We must accept His love without reservation and be willing to accept and to do His will for us.

Change, or transformation, is a painful, demanding process, and it takes time and perseverance. First, we must be reconciled not only to God (2 Corinthians 5:20) but also to our brothers (Matthew 5:24). Second, we must be willing to change our attitude, following the "advice" found in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Third, we must count our blessings--all those things that God has given us. God cares so much for us that He knows us, inside and out. (Luke 12:7)



There is a great little book called, Who Moved My Cheese?, written by Spencer Johnson, M.D. The story is about four mice--Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw--and how they respond to change and how their lives were affected by changes (or refusing to change). Someone kept moving their cheese, and they either had to deal with the changes....or die. It's a very quick-read, only 96 pages, and each person who reads the book will find themselves revealed in the attitudes of one of the four mice.

How often have you heard someone say, "We've always done it this way. Why do we need to change?" We, too, are stuck in our traditions. We are unable to "think outside the box" because we are bogged down with our traditionalistic views of how things should be done. We are not able to see the "joy in Jesus" because of the anchor of tradition that is weighing us down. If we are stuck "inside the box", we can't reach out to others. We cannot show them joy when we do not see it (or have it) ourselves.

In today's economy, we will see more and more changes: more and more people either losing their jobs or having their hours reduced. Businesses are trying to find ways to cut costs without cutting quality. Change is inevitable, and it is how we react to those changes that determines how we will survive.

Change: it's all about attitude!

Excerpted from a sermon entitled, "Change or Die", written by this author but never preached.

Over....or Under?

Is there a right way and a wrong way to place the roll of toilet paper onto the toilet paper holder? Some would say "yes", some would say "no", and others would say "it's a matter of habit".

Why do we get upset when someone puts the toilet paper "under" when we prefer it "over"? The simple answer is: habit. We get locked into habits and and resist change. We think we have a better way of doing something and we want it done our way. Ah, selfishness! But are we always right?

I heard a great sermon at church last Sabbath called "From the Heart". The speaker emphasized the point that we are creatures of habit and that we do so many things out of custom and tradition that, eventually, they become rote, fixed, habitual, a mechanical course of procedure. He continued by encouraging us to do things from the heart rather than from tradition. He also asked some very pointed questions: Why do we come to church? Is it out of habit or because we truly want to celebrate the Sabbath from the heart. If you read Luke 4:16 and Acts 17:1, you will find that even Jesus and Paul went to the synagogue (church) because it was their custom.

Not all customs are "bad", but we do need to step back and ask ourselves why we are doing certain things. If we are doing them because "that's the way we've always done it", then perhaps we are not doing it from the heart.

Over...or under? Does it really matter?

Memories

There comes a time when each of us sits back and thinks about things that have happened in the past, and we either laugh or cry. Here are some of the things I thought about today:

• Les tripping over the curb as he was backing out of a horse trailer used for moving furniture and spraining both ankles. Not one....both!
• Linda falling down the stairs because she was thinking about reaching the camera bag hanging on the closet doorknob instead of watching for the last two steps, and spraining her ankle. Only one...not both!
• Becky riding her bicycle with a group from church; the bicycle wheel slipped off of the asphalt and she fell with the bicycle on top of her and ripped off a layer of skin from her leg.
• Les jumping off of the Little Red Truck full of kids after pushing it downhill and spraining his wrist. Children: Do not attempt this stunt without proper training.
• Becky crashing her Big Wheel into a parked car.
• Rachel hiding inside the play kitchenette/stove set that Grandma gave her.
• Ruth attempting to style her hair with scissors at the age of five. Bad idea!
• Linda being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Twice now!
• Becky and Rachel marrying the men that they love.
• Ruth moving to Ohio to go to college.
• Family vacations to Ohio, California, Canada
• Rachel dropping a full carton of eggs in the grocery store (or was it Becky?)
• Becky, at the age of two, hiding under a rack of men's suits in JCPenney, where we couldn't find her. Code Adam!
• Becky, at the age of two, hiding on the floor in the backseat of the car at Grandma's house, where we couldn't find her. Again?!
• Watching proudly as Becky, Rachel and Ruth graduated from high school
• Being served special meals prepared by 3R's Kitchen
• Listening to RFaith sing special music at church

Memories help us to remember where we have been, where we come from, and where we are going. They remind us that we, as a family, support each other in all things.

I heard a song tonight sung by Josh Groban called, "You Raise Me Up", and I especially like the chorus:

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up...To more than I can be.

The Flight Home

In the past eleven years, I have been on an airplane twice, and both of those times were business trips in the past six months. Air travel hasn't changed much since that time: you still have to check in your luggage, sit around and wait until you can board the plane, and sit in seats that are too small. If the person in front of you happens to recline their seatback, you have even less room.

Denver Airport

Meals are rarely served on flights, even those that occur during normal mealtimes. Everything that is served has a price tag on it. And as my luck would have it, I either end up sitting right on top of the wing, with limited visibility, or I have the aisle seat where I can't see anything! Okay, so there are advantages to having an aisle seat--you can get up to go to the very small lavatory without climbing over people. (On one flight, I had a window seat and both of my seat-mates were sleeping when I had to go to the bathroom. Patience is a virtue!)

There are, however, some changes that are very noticeable. For example, security is tighter than it used to be. You have to take off your shoes as well as any metal items, all of which will be scanned by the x-ray machines. Family members can no longer enter the boarding area to wait with you until your flight is boarded. With most airlines now charging fees for checking luggage into the cargo hold of the aircraft, more people are cramming all of their traveling items into smaller suitcases that are bulging at the seams and then trying to stuff them into the overhead bins above the seats. I think that if the plane were to crash, we would all be knocked unconscious by the falling luggage before we ever hit the ground!

Headquarters of Corrections

Corporation of America

Sunset over Denver Airport

Trip to Nashville

I recently had the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Nashville, Tennessee, since that is where our company is headquartered. I was sent to Nashville to attend training for Public Information Officers. That's a fancy way of saying facility spokesperson. There were eight of us from various states across the country: Idaho, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi. We became a very close-knit group in a very short period of time.

Nashville was experiencing a cold front, dropping temperatures down to thirty degrees the first day we arrived, and it remained cold for the duration of our stay. That really wasn't an issue, since the only sights I saw were the inside of the airport, the inside of the hotel, the inside of our company's headquarters, and the inside of the shuttle van that took us to and from work every day. Oh, yes, and the inside of the restaurant we went to one evening. (Did I happen to mention that we saw Tim McGraw at the restaurant?!)

The hotel, Embassy Suites-Vanderbilt, was awesome: they provided a free continental breakfast to surpass anything that I have ever seen in a hotel. Pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, cereals, toast, pastries, and omelets made-to-order. The hotel had a two-story waterfall that cascaded into the lobby area. The glass elevators looked out over the 11-story building from the inside. Very spectacular!

My room was a two-room suite: a living-room with sofa, lounge chair, worktable, and kitchenette and a separate bedroom with a king-size bed. It was HUGE! The view from the bedroom was breathtaking as it looked out over the city of Nashville. I saw buildings and places that I wished that I had time to visit.

The training was very informative and I learned to shed some of my shyness. (Yes, people, I really am a shy person.) I had to give a media statement, a press release, and a television interview, all of which was video-taped. In addition, those who were attending the training with me took turns being reporters as well as the public information officer. In the middle of my television interview, the president of our company walked in and sat down to listen. I could feel the pressure! I feel that I did very well, and I even put my training to use the first day I got back to work, having to give interviews with a local newspaper.

The trip back home was very long. After already working half a day to finish up the training, my flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 3:00 p.m. and then I had a 4-1/2 hour layover in Denver. It was going to be a long night. I finally arrived back home at 11:40 p.m., but it was nearly 1:00 a.m. the next morning before I went to bed.

At the Nashville airport, I couldn't clear the metal detector, so I was ushered into a glass cubicle where I was pat-searched and scanned with a handheld metal detector. Alas, it was my artificial knee that was setting off the metal detector. The wait at the Denver airport was extremely long, so I spent time eating, shopping, taking photographs, and reading.

In case you've never flown Frontier Airlines, every plane has an animal mascot. The mascot is painted on the tail, on the wingtip, and a poster hangs at the entrance to the plane. Frontier Airlines' motto is: "A Whole Different Animal." Hence the animal names. I flew on "Stan the Ram", "Hector the Otter", and "Clover the Fawn". I don't know what the first one was that I flew on because I didn't realize there was an animal theme until I got on the second flight.

Every seat in the plane has it's own television screen. Of course, you have to pay for it, but it is satellite television with many channels to choose from. They also serve the usual beverage service and snack foods which, of course, you have to pay for. (It was very strange, though, because I only had to pay for drinks/snacks on the flights going TO Nashville; the flights coming back FROM Nashville, the drinks/snacks were free. I don't quite understand that.)

As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, "there's no place like home." I love to travel, but I love to be at home more.

31-derful Years!

It's not every day that a husband and wife can celebrate 31 years of wedded bliss. In fact, there are very few couples who even survive 31 years with each other. Why? Because they haven't learned the secret to a good marriage.

First of all, marriage is not about love; it's about commitment. If you love someone, but you are not committed to them, the marriage is doomed to fail. People fall in and out of love, and people fall in and out of relationships at the drop of a hat. Why? Because they haven't committed themselves to each other.

Marriage is not a 50-50 proposition. It is not about each individual giving 50% of themselves and their time into the union. Marriage is a 110-110 proposition; each individual must give 110% to the relationship in order for it to succeed.

After 31 years of marriage, I think I may actually be qualified as a subject-matter expert! I have been married to the most wonderful, caring, supportive man for all of those 31 years, and I wouldn't trade him for anything. How do we do it? By giving 110% to our relationship. We listen to each other, we make decisions together, we take walks and hold hands, and we reminisce together.

Just the other day, we were remembering a time when Becky was riding her BigWheel and plowed into a parked car. Then there was the time when I was in the hospital and my husband and my mother were in the room with me. The nurse came in and said that my mother and father would have to leave. The nurse was very embarrassed when I politely explained that they were my mother and my HUSBAND. (My mom always looked young for her age, and at the time, I was 24 but looked like a teenager!)

We have made a lot of memories in 31 years, and while I am sure that I won't be able to recall all of them, I do recall that they were made with the man that I love AND that I am committed to. I look forward to another 31 years together!