Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

I want to give my wife a big “Thank You.”  She got me a good piece of luggage made by Samsonite.  You have no idea how much easier it was navigating to my proper gate in the airports.  In Dulles Airport going to the next terminal was nerve wracking.  My shuttle was not even moving and the clock in front said my plane was boarding already.  Finally I was in the right terminal and then I found out my gate was all the way on the other end.  Being able to easily navigate my luggage made my “quick walk” to the gate easier.  Needless to say I made my flight but barely.  I even discovered on my return flight I could also put my day bag on top of it making my journey easier.  This trip to New Orleans was the first time I used it.  My baggage rolled easily.  A big thank you.

Tags: airport terminals, airports, luggage, my wife, New Orleans, Samsonite luggage, thank-you, vacation
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I did not need it but I took it anyway.  She offered me two slices of pizza to take home.  I already had dinner planned but I took the pizza and said “thank you”.  I realized that was her way of thanking me for all the things I brought for her apartment.  I let her do it.  It was just the gracious and appropriate thing to do.  Accept her gift.  Whether or not I needed it.  It made no difference.  You need to let people thank you for gifts you bestowed them.  It is the right thing to do.

Tags: accept a gift, be gracious, dinner, gift, let people thank you, pizza, thank-you
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Joy is gratitude.  It is looking at your life and every aspect of it and thanking the Lord for every simple thing He has given you.  Sometimes it is others you need to give a simple “thank you”.  God works through other people all the time.  Don’t take any gift you have for granted.  As well as all the simple pleasures that come your way.  Joy is gratitude and thanking the Lord for the simplest gifts He has given you.  He has given your life.  And every morning you wake up you need to thank Him for every breath you take.  Get in the habit of thanking others and the Almighty for every single gift.  Life is composed of myriad details.  And prayerfully thank someone for every detail of your life–every pleasure-every thing.  He does not owe you anything.  And He usually gives us abundance.  Don’t be an ungrateful taker.  Thank Him for every detail of your life.  Joy will always follow gratitude.

Tags: abundance, be grateful, every breath, gifts, God, gratutude, joy, joy is gratitude, Lord, prayer, simple gifts, take for granted, thank Him, thank the Lord, thank-you, thanking others, The Almighty, your life
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I watched and listened to the Carolina wren, which alighted on a branch just outside my kitchen window.  I stood there for what seemed an eternity and was serenaded by its song.  I had never seen one from that spot or that close up or even heard one.  It was a small gift I was given today.  Thank you.  I hope you can find some food in this snowstorm.

Tags: bird feeding, bird food, bird song, bird-watching, birds, Carolina wren, feed the birds, gift, kitchen window, nature, serenade, snow, snowstorm, thank-you, winter
Posted in beauty, birds, knowledge&learning, local, music, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »

I want to thank the people who are in my life.  I know most people will never read this and I will leave out people and I realize Thanksgiving has passed but it is never too late to do this.  All these people take the “extra step” and I do not want to take any of them for granted.

First the medical team

(1) Dr. Hume for your kindness and helpfulness

(2) Dr. Cornelius for your patience

(3) Dr. Blake for her thoroughness

(4) Dr. Mital for your ability to listen

Then,  P & R and Bob and his team who takes care of our cars and keeps them running smoothly, I thank you for your honesty and competence and for standing up to your work even when it costs you and most of all for always giving me the time of day when I have a question about my vehicle

For both of my sisters Fran and Marilyn who are always there when I need them

For Tony for your support:  you know who you are

For Sara, who I have known for over fifteen years and is one of the reasons I still write for her encouragement never abated

For the audience at the local coffeehouse who laughed at my material encouraging me to continue to find the humorous in everyday situations

For Elizabeth Yon wherever you are and the years you spent moderating our writing group

My two kids who years ago I thought I never would have but they came and have blessed me immeasurably

All the many people who God put in my life including those from my small church who have blessed me with their presence

To Sonya who welcomes everyone at the local post office and gives me one more reason why I want to stay in my small town and Perry county

And most of all for my wife who inspires me and still makes me laugh after all these years and came into my life when I was not looking, who thinks she is better than me at Scrabble (she did lose the first ten games she played against me).  As an editor she has no equal.  My website and blog would never have come into being if it was not for her (she is the webmaster).  I “pop” out my bed each morning because of her.  And she bakes a pretty “mean” apple pie.  She gives me a reason to cook.  And that is no small thing.  And after six years she still wants to sleep in our bed.  I call her “serendipity” although she can really be stubborn (for that matter so can I); nevertheless, I thank the Lord every day for her.  I did nothing to deserve her.

Tags: apple pie, audience, blessed, blog, car mechanic, cars, church, coffeehouse, competence, cooking, doctor, editor, encouragement, find the humor, friends, God, honesty, inspires me, makes me laugh, my kids, my wife, post office, Scrabble, serendipity, sisters, small town, stubborn, take for granted, take the extra step, thank people, thank the Lord every day, thank-you, thanksgiving, the Lord, those who serve, webmaster, website, writer, writers group, writing
Posted in balance, beauty, children, God, health, humor, knowledge&learning, life, local, love, marriage, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom, writing, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »

It is no accident that all of us (my two sisters and I) garden.  It all started in my mother’s garden.  It was such a small garden but what an “oasis”.  She had all kinds of beautiful flowers.  I never forgot those deep red roses she had.

That does not even include our fig tree (I mourn its death), the biggest blackberries I have ever seen and the white grape vine she could not kill and finally gave up.

Even after decades I can almost visualize that garden.  Everything started there.  That does not even include the vegetables she raised.  Years later I became a produce clerk.

My appreciation of beauty started in that garden.  She introduced me to God there.  This is such a short essay.  I can not even begin to state the impact of her garden had on on my life even long after she moved from there (I must say reluctantly).

She has been dead seven years and it has been decades since I left that garden but its impact can still be felt today.

I still love looking at flowers and this year I planted eight tomato plants in pots.  I used to think that New Jersey had the best tomatoes in the whole world.  (Yes, I forgot to mention we also had tomatoes in that garden.)

There is so much I have to thank Mom for the garden she tended so carefully and lovingly.  This is such an incomplete list but I have to start somewhere.  Thank you Mom, for introducing me to flowers (and figs and so many other things).  Thank you, Mom, and may you rest in peace.

Tags: beauty, blackberries, fig tree, flowers, garden, gardener, gardening, God, Mom, mother, my mother's garden, New Jersey, oasis, produce clerk, red roses, rest in peace, thank Mom, thank-you, tomatoes, vegetables, white grape vine
Posted in beauty, death, flowers, God, knowledge&learning, life, love, nature, relationships, seasons, time, wisdom | 2 Comments »