"I Didn't Mind" by Susan Pearl

Lately, my husband and I are making homemade bread in the bread machine more often.   It is absolutely a treat and so delicious to have a warm slice of homemade bread.

I remember visiting with a lovely elderly lady many years ago.  She told me of raising her family and making nine loaves of bread twice a week.  I must have exclaimed, "Oh, My"!!!  because I remember her saying, "I didn't mind" and then giving a beautiful smile with love glistening from her eyes.

I could tell the joy of seeing her family enjoying her homemade bread meant so very much to her.  She made more than bread because, with me, she made an impression ---and a lasting impression it is.

Now I am an elderly lady and her words, "I didn't mind", still reach my heart more than ever before.  She made more than nine loaves of bread twice a week--she made wonderful memories, and her sharing of those memories with the words, "I didn't mind", made a lasting impression on me.  We just don't know how far our efforts and acts of kindness will reach or who they will touch in the years to come.

"SO SMALL BUT SO SIGNIFICANT" BY SUSAN PEARL

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF A DOT-

  A LITTLE TINY DOT-

I THOUGHT NOT.

LIKE THE DOT THAT IS THE "FINISHING TOUCH" OF HANDWRITING A WORD

 AND IS PLACED ABOVE A  SMALL "i" OR "j"---

OR THE PERIOD DOT THAT SHOWS WHEN ONE SENTENCE "ENDS"

 AND THE NEXT SENTENCE "BEGINS"--- 

OR HOW ABOUT MORSE CODE?

DOTS CAN SIGNAL A MESSAGE (EVEN DISTRESS)

OR HOW ABOUT THE DECIMAL DOT?

LIKE THE DOT AFTER THE DOLLAR AMOUNT TO SHOW THE CENTS.

OR A DECIMAL POINT TO SHOW THE FRACTION AMOUNT?

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I LOVED MY DOT TO DOT BOOK.

DOTS ARE FUN.  DOTS ARE INFORMATIVE.

DOTS DO A LOT!!!

DOTS SHOW A LOT!!!

DOTS SHOW ACCURACY.......PRECISE....EXACTLY RIGHT---

THAT ONLY A DOT CAN DO.

SO LET'S APPRECIATE THE DOT....

AND THINK HOW SOMETHING SO SMALL IS SO SIGNIFICANT.

"Surprise Salad Check Out" by Susan Pearl

 My sister-in-law, my husband  and I were going to eat a salad at a hospital cafeteria.  I noticed that the salad bar was set up like a buffet and then to pay for the salad a person would be charged 30 cents an ounce.  My sister-law-law went first.  She put lettuce and alfalfa sprouts and a couple other lightweight salad items on her plate and was ready to check out. I think her salad was three ounces and it cost a ninety cents

I was next in line and I was very hungry.  I had covered the lettuce on my plate with lots of my favorite shredded cheese.  Then on top of that I had put lots of other favorites--bacon bits and cubed ham.  Then I put a few cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and topped it all with thousand island dressing and bread croutons.  Since I was so hungry I thought another layer of shredded cheese, bacon bits and cubed ham should do it.  I was ready to check out.  My salad weighed one and a half pounds and cost over seven dollars.  I must say I was a little embarrassed as I asked my husband if he had a couple of one dollar bills to go with my five dollar bill.  It seemed like everyone was shaking their head as if they had never seen anything like it before.  All eyes were on my seven dollar salad.

We sat down at a table and ate our salads but I really felt so surprised at how expensive my salad was.

I learned that when something is being charged by the ounce to keep it light.  

"Two Different Philosophies" by Susan Pearl

Many years ago was a time in our life when we made an annual eight hour drive to see our daughter and family.

The route we chose to take was very desolate for several hours on the trip.  One time we drove for over an hour and didn't see another car.  We live in a rural area and little traffic and no city driving are more comfortable and familiar to us.

Some friends asked if I could come with them to where our daughter lived because they would appreciate my help on the trip.  They would be driving back an extra vehicle and I could read the road map for the wife if needed.  I was happy to go with them and have an opportunity to see family again.

I noticed the route that they took was a different route then my husband and I took.

This route was very busy with traffic and had a large city to navigate through to make the necessary

highway exchanges to stay on route.  I commented that we took another way and didn't have traffic or city driving.  They replied by telling me that they didn't feel comfortable to take that route because it was too desolate. They said if they needed help there wouldn't be anyone.

This intrigued me because they were choosing one way and we chose another way to go to the same destination.  Two different ways, no right or wrong, both have advantages and disadvantages,  I was surprised they chose traffic and they were surprised we would take such a desolate way.

Does this mean we had two different philosophies and still liked each other? 

"Well, It's Like This" by Susan Pearl

Many years ago, when I was young,  I heard about a helpful hit that to make you house smell good.  The helpful hint was to slightly warm a pan on the stove, remove the pan from heat and sprinkle cinnamon into the warmed pan.  Then just wait and a lovely fragrance will fill the house. I thought that helpful hint sounded easy enough so I did it before running some errands.

When I got home I was surprised to see my husband in the kitchen.  He had been opening and shutting the cupboard doors, looked in the refrigerator, checked the oven and he appeared frustrated.

He said to me, "I have looked everywhere and can't find what you made that smells so good".

I looked at him and said, "Well. It's like this".

He replied, "That seems so disappointing".   

I then made a delicious dessert with cinnamon in it.  I didn't ever use that helpful hint again.

 

"Without One Word" by Susan Pearl

Sometimes we don't have to say one word-

   because, our life speaks for itself.

"A New Now From Then" by Susan Pearl

It has been a couple of years since you passed on into eternity,

I pause and reflect when your picture on the wall I see.

At first your picture made me feel of you being near-

And your smiling face I held so dear,

As if I could kiss or embrace you again-

But years have moved me on from then.

You have gone on to a timeless place

While I am still here in this temporary space.

Timeless and temporary are an eternity apart,

And your memory is dear in my heart,

But now when I see your picture I think of you as being gone-

You were once here, but no longer, I have been left to carry on.

The years have moved me on to find a wonderful love again,

The years have moved me on to a new now from then.