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Thanks For The Memories

Monday, May 11th, 2009 by Alyice

Throughout my life I’ve had a lot of acquaintances and very few “friends” though I’ve called most of my acquaintances friends. Acquaintances, to me, are people you get together with every once in awhile to hang out with and have a good time but with whom you don’t build deep bonds. Friends, however, are like “chosen family”.

They are people who see both the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly, the mundane and the exciting, and like you anyway. They are people you can confide in. They are people you can rely on for emotional support, for physical labor, and yes, an occasional a buck or two. They are people you can laugh with, cry with, and get angry with. They are people you can count on to be honest with you when nobody else will. They are people who aren’t afraid to push you to new heights and ask the same in return.

They grow with you and choose not to keep score cards—though at times human nature prevails. And though they may be quick to judge at times and even find themselves a bit jealous of certain aspects of your life, they never, ever allow their flaws—or yours—to ruin the relationship you have spent years building. And yet, both types of relationships bring so much joy to our lives that it’s often hard to separate the two.

I was reminded of the importance of both these relationships this past week as I partook in a dear friend’s wedding. My family and I traveled eight hours to beautiful Merrill, Wisconsin—a town we spent four years of our lives exploring as my husband earned his electro-mechanical degree. We try to get there every other year, but had to forgo one year due to my mother’s death and last year due to the outrageous gas prices and economic woes. So going back this year was a real eye opener as to the blessings one receives from building both types of relationships.

During our visit, we ran into shop owners who treat their regulars like friends and discovered they not only remembered us, but held a special place in their hearts for us. We ran into old friends who treated us like we never left. And my son and husband ran into old buddies they’d meet at the park to play basketball with—who insisted they come out every night, of our visit, so they could catch up. Of course, there wasn’t much intimate talk going on—just a lot of idle chit chat filled with loads of laughter and a few very challenging games of b-ball!

All in all, it felt like we had come home. And I suppose that’s what we miss most about living in Merrill, Wisconsin. Even though we knew that we couldn’t let our hearts get too attached because we’d have to move out of the area for my husband to get a job, the area had a way of attaching itself to our hearts—the people, the community, the beauty of the area, and yes, the friendships.

So today, I’d like to encourage you to give thanks to the people in your life who make where you live feel like home: the postal workers, the bank attendants, the waitresses at your favorite restaurant, the shop keepers, members of a local club or sporting event, your neighbors, and yes, your friends. You’ll be surprised at how a simple kind word about how they make a difference in your life can lift their spirits and bring hope to the world.

Give thanks…

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | 2 Comments »

Thanks For Saving The Planet

Monday, April 13th, 2009 by Alyice

Do you recycle, repurpose, or reuse items? I have always been good about donating or sharing small ticket items I no longer wanted instead of sending them to the dumpster and I have found it fun to earn a few bucks by selling larger ticket items via flyers, craigslist.com, and garage sales. But I can’t say I’ve always been good about using such items within my own home.

When I was a young child, most of the stuff we bought came from thrift stores and garage sales. Then when I moved out of my mom’s home and got married, my entire house was nothing more than a showcase of miss-matched used, donated, and garage sale finds. After the first two years, however, I was determined to have “all new stuff”. I didn’t want someone else’s “junk”. I was tired of “hand-me-downs”. I wanted something that was new and fresh and never been used.

If something developed a minor crack or began to show wear-and-tear, it immediately went into the donation or sell pile and something new took its place. I even preferred to buy the cheaper, non-named brand items instead of accepting one more “gently used” item. You might even say that my nose got so far stuck up in the air that people could see my nose hairs—and it was not like we were rich, because we were a far cry from it. In fact, we were a family of three living on a single income—my husband made $12 per hour.

Then about 9 years ago things began to change. I’m not sure if it was the dusty, mildew-smelling thrift stores my friend, Tina, dragged me into—kicking and screaming, I might add—, the fact that the Midwest has a lot of miniature dumps on farm lands and empty lots, the fact that there’s so much talk about “Going Green” and reversing the damages our society of consumerism has caused on the environment, or the fact that I am simply getting older and no longer need to impress others, but I find myself reverting back to the thrifty days of my youth. And it feels good.

In fact, I’ve recently made a game out of looking for ways to reuse and repurpose what’s already been manufactured—even going so far as to visit thrift and antique stores without getting that “grossed out” feeling and without pushing my husband to hurry up and get out of there. Before buying new games and videos, we check out the local used shops; instead of buying new glass for my art jars, I use old food and beverage glass; instead of tossing out packaging supplies, I reuse them when mailing orders or gifts to family members; and just recently I accepted a donation of used wood—complete with battered markings, nails, chips, and fractures—instead of making my husband take me to the lumber yard for that perfect piece of wood.

It hasn’t been easy but when you think about the fact that Americans, alone, produce a minimum of five pounds of trash, per person, in a single day and that less than three percent of that trash actually gets recycled, leaving the rest to be dumped in landfills that do nothing more than pollute our water system, our land, and the air we breathe, one can’t help but wonder what that damage is going to do to future generations—or more importantly, our children and their children.

Studies already prove that our ozone layer is corroding at an alarming rate, that the pollution we put out on a daily basis is not only killing the earth, but every living creature on it, that the earth is suffering from our need to constantly seek out the “next best thing”, and that the human race faces many diseases that could be controlled simply by changing how we produce and consume the things around us.

If you, too, are ready to make a change, you don’t have to “go all out” right away. You can make small changes and work your way up to bigger changes. To learn more about caring for our eco-system, visit these websites:

Give thanks…

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | 2 Comments »

Thanks For Strawberries

Monday, April 6th, 2009 by Alyice

There was a time when I could not tolerate strawberries. Though they looked beautiful and smelled delicious, I couldn’t get passed the tartness. Others suggested I make strawberry pie or strawberry shortcake, but mashing them up just didn’t appeal to me and it sure didn’t look appetizing. So for years the only way I ate strawberries was in canned jams and jellies.

Then as I embarked on growing my very own strawberries last year—for my strawberry loving son—I fell in love with them! Freshly picked strawberries are sweeter, and much more delicious, than the store-bought ones that tend to get picked before they are ripe and ripen during transport. And because they are rich in Vitamin C, and have cancer-fighting antioxidants, they make the effort of growing them that much more rewarding.

I still don’t like mashing them, but I do enjoy topping my ice cream or a freshly baked slice of brownie with them. And on occasions, you can find me with a bowl of freshly sliced strawberries and a side of real whip cream! In fact, when they are in season, I much prefer strawberries to my childhood favorite, watermelon.

Yes, there’s just something very rewarding and delicious about a freshly picked, sweet-smelling strawberry. If you haven’t grown any lately, I encourage you to give it a try!

Give thanks…

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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