When I am in the kitchen, I wear an apron.
Not the little ones you remember from the Leave It To Beaver days.
Rather the long aprons that go down to your knees.
The aprons made of homespun fabric that have pockets in the front.

My apron has become my trademark.
It will stay on all through dinner, unless we are having company.
It may even stay on then, if I forget to take it off.
It protects my clothes; it can wipe water off of a glass when it’s humid.

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This past weekend I celebrated my birthday.
Fifty-six times around the sun.
Of course, birthdays are a time to look ahead.
They are also a time to look back.

I remember when I turned thirteen years old.
I was biting my nails at the time and my mother desperately wanted me to stop.
She figured that a special ring would be just the incentive I needed.
It was the last gift to be opened after dinner.

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I have a dear friend that loves to visit different libraries.
She knows where most libraries are in the surrounding region.
She will visit the library in any town she happens to be visiting.
It is something that she and her daughter love to do together.

They are both avid readers.
They will leave the library with a large satchel of books.
I am always amazed that she finishes the books in the allotted time.
She always does.

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It was not my usual church.
It was the church I attended this past Sunday.
A different group of brothers and sisters in the Lord.
A different church family but family all the same.

As I sat there, I thought other churches.
I thought of the countless number of churches who were worshiping just as I was.
Worshiping in a different town, a different state, or a different country.
One Body in Christ.

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It is one of those stores that gives you reward points for every purchase.
Reward points that accumulate and become cash.
I had accumulated $20 to use towards another purchase.
A $20 certificate that would expire at the end of the month.

I decided to go into the store and look around.
Nothing hit my eye.
I really didn’t need anything.
Anything I bought would simply be because I had $20 to spend.

That was until I passed the coats.

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I have some thank you notes that I need to write.
My mother is very close to me as I write them.
I learned many things from her but writing thank you notes was most important.
If someone takes the time to give you a gift, you can take the time to thank them.

I heard those words in my head then.
I hear those words in my head now.
There was a suitable time frame in which the notes were expected to be written.
You received your gift in time, they need to receive their thank you note in time.

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I pass the house most every day.
It is an older house with a front porch.
It has been on the market and off the market.
I wasn’t sure if anyone currently lived there.

There is something about an empty house.
It lacks love.
It may have a well kept lawn; it may be structurally sound.
Without people inside, it has no life.

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I was due for a phone upgrade.
My husband and I both got a new phone at the same time.
He was excited about all the new bells and whistles.
I just was happy to have a phone that allows me to connect with my children.

I am not high tech.
My web designer daughter tells me that, I do well with what I know.
A diplomatic way of saying that I have minimal knowledge but can hold my hold.
The things that are interesting to my husband concerning the phone mean nothing to me.

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It was cold when I went on my walk.
The temperature was in the 20’s.
With the wind chill, it felt like it was in the teens.

My breath was visible in the air.
But I didn’t mind.
I like the cold weather.

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Before malls and shopping centers were so streamlined, you often found playgrounds.
Playgrounds that were usually near the food court.
Playgrounds with climbing apparatus, slides, and playhouses.
I remember the playground that our mall used to have.

It was built right next to the food court and right across from an ice cream store.
It had a circular wall around it with four ramps leading down into the play area.
On one end there was a makeshift stage.
Many impromptu performances were held there.

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