At the end of the summer, my family held a reunion at a lake house in Southern Missouri. Long story short, one of my brothers and his family had a “trip from hell” getting there in a rented RV. And after a series of complications, delays, and mechanical problems, they finally arrived a day later than planned, exhausted and stressed. They had been at the house about an hour, barely long enough to do a little swimming, when I got the chance to sit and talk with my youngest niece, age 7. I asked, “So what was your favorite trip this summer?” Knowing they had been on some exotic vacations including the Cayman Islands, I expected to hear all about that. But her answer surprised me.
“My favorite trip is this one,” she said assuredly.
“Really?” I asked, “Why?”- thinking that with all the hassles of getting there and only getting to relax a short time, how could this be?
Her response: “Because it’s SO much fun jumping in the lake!” Read the rest of this entry »
Go jump in a lake
The Sure Thing
What’s your “Sure Thing”? No, not the one from the 1980′s movie with John Cusack, though that is a funny film and one that holds up over time. And no, not that thing that always gets you going in bed…My goodness, this isn’t that kind of blog!
No, I’m talking about the thing that will always make you smile. The thing where all you have to do is look at it, and it takes you out of wherever your head is at the time, interrupts a negative thought cycle, and puts you in a better frame of mind.
This is mine: 
Read the rest of this entry »