It’s a warm and muggy day in Florida today, partly cloudy, actually hot if I put the right word to it. It’s all a matter of perspective depending upon where you are today, Feb 24, because if you are in Michigan or Maine or New York today, you are probably glad that it is Sunday afternoon and you can stay home. By my IPad I see that my northern home is engulfed in 29 to 32 MPH winds driving a slanted snowstorm. When I go online I see that my friends seem to have become rather immune to it because it has been a long hard winter. How long can you actually complain about it? Instead I see that several writers have begun to think about seeds, and planting, and a new variety of tomatoes they might try out! Maple syrup heralds a new season. The one thing that we can remember as we survive those long winters is that spring will eventually show up, the crocuses will thrust their little heads, and we will be digging and raking again.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my internet friends. It is surprising how many of them I have never met physically, yet I know what they look like. I can surmise very easily what they think about, how they spend their days, their opinions on life in general, and what is most important to them. Sometimes I notice that they seem to have some type of problem going on and I feel empathy from afar, remembering what it was like so many years ago, the push and shove of daily living. The urgency of trying to get everything done just right while still taking time to breathe.
Still, I feel a closeness to many of them and you may be one of the friends reading this. You will know that you are, because we are all united one with each other in our thoughts and our memories. Anyone that you have met in your lifetime no matter how long ago, resides somewhere in your mind even if you think that you have forgotten. How often do we see someone in a crowd and at first we are really reminded of someone from the past.
So, friends, enjoy your day today no matter where you are, and know that your friends are remembering you also, and wishing good thoughts for you.

it’s a warm, cloudy day here in Florida, a Saturday, and that means my weekly writing pen is itching to get started. The pen is, me, not so much. After a while it seems to get more difficult to get excited about what I am about to put on paper. Actually, I am not using a pen right now, my index finger is busily putting the letters on my IPad screen. Although I have always typed a lot, now I can go just about as accurately and fast with my finger. Who would have thought after all of the years of correcting mistakes with white correcting ink that now I do it with the same finger! Anyhow, here it goes!
We, my brother and sister in law, my two sisters plus brothers in law, My husband and I are all meeting for our annual luncheon at our home in Florida. Each couple takes their turn at it, and this time it’s ours. So we are counting our silverware, bringing out the paper plates and everyone is contributing some kind of food. We’ve had to rustle up eight chairs, two card tables, and hopefully the weather will continue to be beautiful. Tomorrow, Sunday, Bob will bake his famous baked beans and I will make a Cherry Dump cake. I’m looking around at what I need to put away so that everything looks neat and clean.
So you ask, what is the blessing? Families get together all the time. No big deal. But this luncheon is special for all of us. We are scattered about the country for most of the year. And the really big deal is that we are all in our 70’s and 80’s, but we, my brother Larry, sisters, Eileen and Janice, and me, Verlie, are the original four in our family, born of Truman and Marjorie Strong, and we are still all together. Larry and Betty, Eileen and Bob, Janice and Ray, all are still together with their original partners. Bob and Verlie have been married 26 years. Between us all we have so many children, grandchildren, and great grand children that we can hardly count them all. My father, Truman, died at 51. I often wonder what he would have thought of this huge congregation. He was so proud of his family.
We will sit and talk and bring everybody up to date on all the news. I am going to read this to all of them to show how happy we are together. We will bring out all of the IPhones, and click away. And on FB our families will read my article and smile, knowing that their parents are enjoying themselves in a warm and beautiful place. Now what could be more wonderful than this? Everyone of these eight people knows that they can count on each other, no matter what, and that has always been our strength.
So thank you, Mother and Dad, for giving us the foundation of a good and happy life. The blessing is also that we had you.