by DDI | Oct 12, 2024 | Parenting, Archives
God Lives in the Post Office Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4-year-old daughter, Meredith was crying and talking about how much she… God Lives in the Post Office Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4-year-old daughter, Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words: Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith ________ We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said
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by DDI | Oct 1, 2024 | Parenting, Archives
My Best Job Ever By all accounts, I am an ordinary, middle-aged woman no different from millions just like me. Over the course of my lifetime, I have had my… My Best Job Ever By all accounts, I am an ordinary, middle-aged woman no different from millions just like me. Over the course of my lifetime, I have had my share of jobs (and I use the word “job” because I can’t really say I ever pursued a “career” in anything). I am an Executive Assistant. When I got my first job, and for the following fifteen or twenty years thereafter, I was called a “Secretary”. They don’t call it that anymore, it’s not politically correct and although I never really understood why it was necessary to change it, ‘they’ did. In addition to working in an office, there were other jobs that included waitress work (now called ‘server’) and a host of factory and manufacturing jobs during the summertime of my high school years. I have always given my employer the best I had to offer, remained loyal, trustworthy and punctual and worked 50 weeks out of the year. Besides a paycheck at the end of the week and those two glorious weeks out of the year they call “vacation”, most jobs have been pretty mundane with self-effacing rewards
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by DDI | Aug 31, 2024 | Parenting, Archives, Relationship
An avid Gardener saw a small Butterfly laying few eggs in one of the pots in his garden. Since that day he looked at the egg with ever-growing curiosity and… An avid Gardener saw a small Butterfly laying few eggs in one of the pots in his garden. Since that day he looked at the egg with ever-growing curiosity and eagerness. The egg started to move and shake a little. He was excited to see a new life coming up right in front of his eyes. He spent hours watching the egg now. The egg started to expand and develop cracks. A tiny head and antennae started to come out ever so slowly. The man’s excitement knew no bounds. He got his magnifying glasses and sat to watch the life and body of a pupa coming out. He saw the struggle of the tender pupa and couldn’t resist his urge to “HELP”. He went and got a tender forceps to help the egg break, a nip here, a nip there to help the struggling life and the pupa was out. The man was ecstatic! He waited now each day for the pupa to grow and fly like a beautiful butterfly, but alas that never happened. The larvae pupa had an oversized head and kept crawling along in the pot for
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by DDI | Jul 27, 2024 | Marriage, Archives, Parenting
After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I started to go out with another woman. It… After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife’s idea. “I know you love her,” she said one day, taking me by surprise. “But I love YOU!” I protested. “I know, but you also love her.” The other woman my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years. The demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night, I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well,” she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. “I thought it would be pleasant to pass some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, then said, “I would like that very much.” That Friday, after work, as I drove over to pick her
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by DDI | Jun 9, 2024 | Parenting, Archives
The Master’s Vow In the country of Armenia, in 1988, Samuel and Danielle sent their young son, Armand, off to school. Samuel squatted before his son and looked him in… The Master’s Vow In the country of Armenia, in 1988, Samuel and Danielle sent their young son, Armand, off to school. Samuel squatted before his son and looked him in the eye. “Have a good day at school, and remember, no matter what, I’ll always be there for you.” They hugged and the boy ran off to school. Hours later, a powerful earthquake rocked the area. In the midst of the pandemonium, Samuel and Danielle tried to discover what happened to their son but they couldn’t get any information. The radio announced that there were thousands of casualties. Samuel then grabbed his coat and headed for the schoolyard. When he reached the area, what he saw brought tears to his eyes. Armand’s school was a pile of debris. Other parents were standing around crying. Samuel found the place where Armand’s classroom used to be and began pulling a broken beam off the pile of rubble. He then grabbed a rock and put it to the side, and then grabbed another one. One of the parents looking on asked, “What are you doing?” “Digging for my son,” Samuel answered. The man
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by DDI | May 11, 2024 | Parenting, Archives, Inspiration
This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about.
