Since March of last year, my husband has been working from home.
Neither of us imagined he would be working remotely for almost an entire year.
Working remotely has come with its own set of challenges.
However, a year later, it has become the norm.

If given a choice, I think most people would say that a hybrid model would be best.
Working some days from home and some days in the office would be good.
People are realizing that it is possible to work from home.
Companies are realizing that they can have a different business model and still be successful.

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I remember her saying this often.
My mother was able to capture things she was trying to teach me in a few words.
It was easy for me to remember.
It was easily rehearsed in my mind.

I now see the benefit of what she was trying to do.
She died forty-five years ago.
Yet, I can still remember so many of her words.
Especially now, I was thinking about something she said when I was in grade school.

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I was waiting in the checkout line.
I was obediently standing behind the designated six-foot distance mark on the floor.
There was a person ahead of me with a cart full of groceries.
There was a price discrepancy that needed to be addressed.

The placement of this particular register is a bit strange.
It is the last register before the customer service desk.
There is a small staircase next to this register.
The staircase has only four steps, that lead to an office.

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My daughter sent me a picture.
It made me smile on a quarantine day when I needed a smile.
I smiled because I understood.
Training a child is an ongoing process.

My oldest granddaughter will be two-years-old next month.
She just became a big sister.
Her little sister was born a few days ago.
We are all rejoicing.

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The email came at the beginning of the week.
A surprise was planned.
The surprise was simply meant to encourage.
It was a wonderful idea.

The pastor of our church has been faithfully using social media during the virus crisis.
Services are streamed each Sunday morning.
Prayer times are available each day around lunchtime.
Bible study is every Wednesday night.

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It was Election Day.
Schools were closed, since many of the buildings are also polling places.
My husband was away on business.
He had voted by absentee ballot.

I went to the polling place around lunchtime.
I brought a sample ballot with me.
I also had some other papers to review in the voting booth.
In our little town, there is usually no waiting in line.

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Many years ago, I was told a bit of wisdom that I have never forgotten.
The wise words were said by an older woman.
I gleaned so much from her.
She had such a wonderful way of explaining things.

It was about the time of the women’s retreat.
I was not able to go, since I had just had a baby.
Many women were going to the retreat.
This wise, older woman gave us all a bit of advice.

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My daughter planned some one on one time with her dad.
The two of them were going to kayak on a nearby lake.
My little granddaughter would spend the morning with Grandma.
The weather had other ideas.

Heavy rain fell in the morning.
The two kayakers were watching the weather.
Suddenly, it seemed to clear.
My husband began to get everything ready.

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My youngest son was in middle school when he made the request.
He wanted to get a new basketball pole for the driveway.
We had a basketball pole but a sturdier one was in order.
There were many boys in the neighborhood during those years.

Our house was the house for board games and basketball.
A house across the street was the house for football.
It was a reasonable request.
My husband had a proposition.

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You cannot take the athlete out of my oldest daughter.
I remember when she was in first grade and came home with the permission slip.
She took it out of her folder.
She handed it to me.

I want to play T-ball, she said quite sure of herself.
Since she was our oldest, signing my children up for sports was new to me.
I was always the professional spectator when it came to sports.
Any ability or love of sports my daughter had, she did not get from me.

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