Rock Art Tribute to Vets on Iowa Hwy 25

On Memorial Day, a friend in Rochester NY sent me this story and these photos. I can’t think of a better way to recognize our Veterans on Independence Day than to share them with you! Thanks to the Sorensen Family and thanks to Paul Hauler for forwarding them to me!

Happy Independence Day, folks!

There is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy. 25 in rural Iowa.

For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely  undisturbed. (The flag is actually painted on the rock too.) 

 

 

 

 

 And here’s the artist, Ray “Bubba” Sorensen. Awesome work, Ray! Thank you! 

God Bless America and our soldiers and vets!
Pass it on.

Call + Response Trailer Promises to Stand and Deliver

The test of a good story in my book (yuk, yuk) is not only how quickly the author grabs my attention and holds it from chapter to chapter, but also how well they deliver the surprise ending.

Take a gander at this. See if you aren’t struck by how quickly one frame of “film” can offer that element of surprise, change assumptions and deliver a very powerful message…

Can Women Accept Compliments?

I’m a real fan of Goodwill. Not only have I donated tons of stuff over the years, but I’ve also done a fair amount of shopping at their stores. I’m always on the lookout for a good bargain!

So one day, I ran across a beautiful yellow sweater - one of those nice big, roomy sweaters to hide the tummy and cover the hips! Not only did I look pretty dishy in it, AND it was from LL Bean, but I hit bargain shopping paydirt ’cause it was only $2.50! What a deal!

Whaddya think? Not bad, eh?

 

It wears like iron and people ask me if I’ve lost weight when I’m wearing that sweater. (LOVE it!) People stop on the street and stare. (Anyone remember the day you realized they weren’t staring at you anymore - they were staring at your 16 year old daughter?!?)

Why Can’t Women Handle Compliments?

I get tons of compliments when I wear that sweater. And that’s the problem.

You’d think I’d just smile shyly and graciously accept the glowing words and approving nods. I should be able to just say, “thank you” and let them wonder how much I paid for it, right?

But noooo. This is where the evil gremlin that gets great glee from sabotaging our self confidence pipes up. You know the one. He looks like the creepy thing from the toenail fungus commercials. (Between him and the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, I don’t know who I fear most!)

Here’s what he says…

“Tell ‘em. Go on, TELL THEM where you got it! WHO do you think you ARE anyway? You don’t DESERVE compliments! You only paid $2.50 for that sweater.  T E L L   T H E M !  (it shrieks)

And so I do.

“Oh, this old thing? Gosh, no. I don’t do much shopping in New York City these days. Why, I got this at Goodwill for $2.50!”

And there goes my golden opportunity! I could have given them a gift - the gift of accepting their nice words instead of so quickly deflating their balloon.

I could have let them have their moment and respond with, “Thank you so much! I’m so glad you like it!”

But I couldn’t handle it. I had to brush that compliment right down the side of my little yellow el-cheapo sweater onto the ground below and then trample around on it for a moment or two just to make sure it was good and dead.

All because….

Why? Why do we do that to ourselves? Why is it so hard to just say “thanks”?

Lizzie Post, great, great granddaughter of etiquette expert, Emily Post, shares her thoughts about this trait in this article along with a few more thoughts from yours truly.

And I want to know if I’m the only one, or if YOU also have a hard time accepting compliments?

Is it just a woman thing? Or, do men do it too?

Writing from 6711 feet above sea level,

Laura

How blogging connected birth mom and adopted child

A Novice with a Brand New Facebook Page

You’d think I didn’t have a life! I mean, just two weeks ago in my “spare time” I decided to try out Facebook. I cancelled my LinkedIn account (too much focus on numbers for me) and figured I’d give Facebook a try. I was curious to see what the Facebook fuss was all about and figured I’d do a better job helping clients if I knew how to do it myself.

Then I got this wild and crazy idea (aka Steve Martin kind of thing) to create a “group” for alumni of my old high school in Rochester NY. Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School closed sometime in the 90’s and it’s been hit or miss to keep up with folks ever since I moved from Rochester NY to Colorado.

Amazingly, within just two hours, I was “friended” by a guy who graduated from my school! He found my group. He joined it! And he gave me helpful advice on how to title the group to avoid confusion with other Cardinal Mooney High Schools still operating in other states. I thought that was very nice of him and impressed by how fast the word got out!

I’ve Become a Blogging Monster!

Then, my creative little noggin’ came up with another scathingly brilliant idea (see the Parent Trap movie). Wouldn’t it be cool if I started a blog for our Rochester NY Cardinal Mooney High School? Then all my old friends and other “kids” from way back when would have a gathering place to share updates, announce reunions, post photo’s from the past and swap stories! I figured it would help many of us get connected despite the decades and distance between us.

So I set to work scanning a header photo from one of the year books, reserved the domain name, www.cardinalmooneyhighschoolblog.com and set it up on WordPress. A category here, a tag there and whallah! The Cardinal Mooney High School Blog was born!

Being the good little communicator that I am, I spread the word to my five siblings and a few friends. One friend posted a comment. A few of my sibs thought it was a neat idea.

Unexpected Outcome from One Blog Post

Then something amazing happened. A comment was posted from a young man who’d been searching for his birth mother and father. They’d attended my high school and graduated a year ahead of me. He gave specifics from their background and asked for information from anyone who might have known of his birth mom and dad. He emailed me separately to see if I could help.

While the details didn’t remind me of anyone I had known, I figured I’d send his post out to a few friends and family - just in case. You never know. Crazy things can happen, right?

Blogging Brings Birth Mom and Adopted Son Together

Within a few days, one of the two girlfriends I’d sent the message out to, called me and uttered these wonderfully unexpected words, “Laurie, I know who Matt’s birth parents are.”

“Wow! How do you know? Are you sure? What should we do?” was how my end of the conversation sounded.

And between the two of us, enough information was shared, weighed, agonized over and passed along to the young man’s investigator/intermediary in a way designed to ensure the wishes and privacy of those involved.

Then on Saturday, June 14th, Matt and his birth Mom met for the second time in 36 years!

Folks, on my list of life’s most joyful events, this one ranks right up there close to the births of my very own children! It still gives me goosebumps to just think about it, much less write this story!

And all because of a little bitty blog!

So, now I’m really hooked! I wonder what mysteries we can solve next?

Writing from Cloud 9 at 6711 feet above sea level,

Laura