Blueberry Pie

Sharing Recipes: A Great Way to Spread Joy

I enjoy cooking and baking and when I come across a recipe that is simple, quick, easy, and delicious, I love to share it. Several years ago, my friend Nancy shared her recipe for a “crustless blueberry pie” which I have renamed “blueberry cake/pie” because it’s a cake that’s baked in a glass pie pan.…

Sandwich

A Wonderful Example of the Way Things Should Be

​My good friend Nancy, who I went to high school with, posted this wonderful example of kindness on Facebook that I would like to share with you. “I went to the concert at Weko Beach tonight and I had the greatest experience of kindness from people I didn’t even know. I was sitting on the…

Laughter

A Lesson from Kindergarten Students: We Need to Laugh More

The benefits from laughter are amazing: laughter strengthens our immune system, helps us heal more quickly, reduces food cravings, stress, anxiety, and anger while providing us with a better night’s sleep. And the more we laugh, the more of these benefits we accrue. The problem is that most adults don’t laugh nearly enough.  Research has…

Monty Williams

Everything You Want is on the Other Side of Hard

​This is the mantra of Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams. What this means is that success requires a lot of hard work along with commitment and discipline.  A lot of people don’t like to hear this; they’re looking for short-cuts. The problem is there are no short-cuts. This is the bad news! The good…

Ioa

A Kind Act That Turned into a Wonderful Story

​My wife found this story on a Facebook page called, “I Grew Up in Iowa.” It’s a wonderful story about a kind act performed by the employees of a Hy-Vee bakery. “I just wanted to give a shout out to Wilson Avenue Hy-Vee. I ordered a cake from them earlier this week for my stepdad’s…

Dig

You Don’t have to be Good at Something to Enjoy It

​A friend sent me this quote by American writer Kurt Vonnegut that contains a very important life lesson: “When I was 15, I spent a month working on an archeological dig. I was talking to one of the archeologists one day during our lunch break and he asked those kinds of ‘getting to know you’…

Sunshhine Smiley Face

Off to a Positive Start

​My Wife’s cousin Linda has a morning ritual that has a positive impact on the lives of her family, friends, and herself. She spends a few minutes focusing her thoughts into several meaningful, inspirational sentences which introduce an accompanying photo on Facebook. For example, on a recent Thursday she posted, “Good morning my peeps! Grateful…

Kindness

Kindness is a Sign of Strength

​There are some people who think that doing kind things is a sign of weakness. In reality, the opposite is true. I found the following quote on Facebook from an unknown author which explains why: “Being rude is easy. It does not take any effort and is a sign of weakness and insecurity. Kindness shows…