If you had a shelf for your three most special possessions (not including photos, electronic devices and the things stored on them, people, or animals), what would you put on it?

For things that would fit on a shelf, they would be (1) a tiny cup and plate displayed on brown plastic stand, that my son gave me for Christmas when he was nine. Printed on the plate are the words, “I Love Mom,” words I desperately needed that particular Christmas; (2) the Christmas ornament pictured below. As a little girl, it was always my favorite and even though I’ve down-sized my Christmas trees in recent years, it still gets the front and center spot;

(3) as for the third item, there are so many items competing for this spot I don’t know which to pick: the little Bible my mother carried (with a single orchid on it) when she married my Dad, her long-sleeved, long-trained, satin wedding dress, (circa 1948), my great-grandmother’s wedding dress (circa 1901), that is actually two pieces, the skirt with a small, ruffled train, and the top with rows of small ruffles across the bodice, and raw silk cuffs, the tatted table cloth my great-grandmother made for me, my father’s christening gown (also made by my great-grandmother for my grandmother, then she used it for my father), some drawings I made years ago, some of my journals, some favorite books (some from my childhood, like “The Five Little Peppers and How they Grew”). . .like I said, too many to choose from.

 If you had a box labeled “happiness”, what would you put in it?

My grandchildren’s giggles.

What one thing are you really glad you did yesterday?

Re-filled the windshield washer fluid in my car. While it did snow again last night, it had warmed up enough the previous couple days to start some melting, causing nightmarish, splash-back driving. Just one of those car maintenance acts that is easy (for me) to forget, and then procrastinate once or twice after the warning light and bell begin signaling that the fluid level is getting low.

Are you generally focused on today or tomorrow?

Both?

Although I rarely make a conscious decision to deliberately appreciate the people, places, and things I encounter in my daily life, I am aware that I do because I enjoy them so much. For example, every time I drive somewhere, the beauty of the lake and trees, the splendor of the mountains, the vastness (and sometimes amazing colors) of the sky, never fail to impress me. I may not always be thinking poetically about them, but I always see them and seeing them makes me happy. I can be (and have been) in the middle of an intense conversation and for a split-second find myself thinking, “The frost on that tree is so pretty.” And, I think it is those moments, however brief, of recognizing something that we particularly enjoy about the world, that keep us engaged with life.

That said, with four grandchildren, I’m equally focused on the future–in particular, their future. 

Would you want to have a guardian angel/mentor? What would they tell you right now?

I’ve always sort of felt like I have at least one guardian angel, and maybe more. Apparently, I was pretty energetic and adventurous as a toddler/small child, resulting in some narrow escapes and  frequent comments like, “Her guardian angel was on the ball today!” or, “She sure keeps her guardian angel busy.”

As for what my guardian angel is telling me right now, she’s probably reminding me of things like be careful on the ice, don’t forget your gloves, the car is due for an oil change (I tend to procrastinate everything to do with the car), and don’t stay up so late.