people

Thank an Artist

It’s National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. I’m going to move the words around a bit and tell you about a person that has inspired my heart, then when I found out he is a nationally recognized artist, I felt compelled to purchase one of his pieces as a memento.

I have been attending a Veteran’s writing group for almost two years. I consider the two facilitators and core group of attendees, friends and confidants. When we get together we write about our own military experiences and what effect, usually long-term, they have had on our lives. It’s a safe place to share deep emotional pain, and sometimes joy or silliness. (I am an ex military wife, not an actual veteran.) Because we focus on writing, we still have some anonymity, and not a lot of time to share current personal situations.

We have veterans from Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and one World War II vet. When he talks, we listen for as long as he wants to go on. The military was so different back then. One got discharged after earning points, rather than on a time served schedule. The members knew what they were fighting for, and all parts of life were achieved without social media, cell phones and computers. His stories are fascinating as is he.

Our WWII vet’s name is Kurt Feuerherm. You can search his name to see some of his modern art works. I will get my Owlets on Saturday at our next gathering. The mixed media picture will be a forever reminder of my special friend, and they will fit right in with all the other bird pictures I have in my home. I should probably admit, none of the rest were done by a nationally known artist.

Think about what type of art moves your soul. I create quilts, stories, poems, cakes, and dinners that could be called works of art. I love the way music feeds my soul. Some of my best story ideas have come when I’m out listening to live music. But sometimes, it’s not just the art that inspires my heart, it’s the artist too. What a treat to know Kurt personally.

01/31/2017 0

Thank You Honey

It’s National Spouses Day! (Yes, I know I’m a day late!) Say THANK YOU to your spouse just for being who they are, how they make you feel, how they enhance your life, what they do for your family, how they pay, or help pay, the bills….the list could go on and on.

Personally, I think they should have used a picture of a couple that had been married over 50 years for this day. If you make a relationship work that long, then you can brag you’ve made it. I know I’m jaded, but a couple as young as the one above hasn’t had time to climb the mountains and ford the raging rivers that happen in a relationship. To me it appears they are still thinking love can conquer anything. It sure as hell helps, but it’s not always true. People grow and change, or not, and if you aren’t growing together, all too often you are growing apart.

Wow! This got heavy really quick. Sorry. I think you can guess I have experienced both types of relationships. Back to the real reason for writing this a day late. My husband is a loving, supportive spouse. He gets that when I make comments about a bad meal in a restaurant, I’m not complaining, I’m just stating facts. If I were complaining, I would be whining too. He has encouraged me to grow, is excited for my changes, and has given me the support needed so I could quit work and write a really long novel that may never get published. He’s a gem, or as they say today, a keeper. He has helped my children on multiple occasions and I can proudly say, they talk to him before they talk to their own father. I am truly blessed.

My husband and I became spouses when we were both over fifty. Maybe that’s the key. We had become mature enough to not make crazy demands of each other and knew the reality of being friends was more important than lust. Anyway, we appreciate each other, try not to take each other for granted and still say ‘please and thank you’ on a regular basis. It feels good at the end of each day to be able to say, “I’ve got a great spouse whom I love!”

01/27/2017 7

Recognition

I think all humans crave recognition, some just need it more than others. I thrive on compliments and have learned as an instructor to say, “I am proud of you,” or “Good job,” as often as possible. My quilting students beam and try even harder when they get praised. A genuine compliment goes a long way, for both people involved.

Way back when, as a new bride, I served my husband my first and last attempt at making Spanish Rice. He took a bite and made a face. I burst into tears (mind you, I was very young) and said, “I haven’t even sat down yet!” He replied, “It’s good. I’ll eat it.” After my first bite, I grabbed the bowls and threw them in the sink, saying, “That’s not fit to feed to the dog.” We laughed and went out for a hamburger. I don’t remember why it was so bad, but I remember how crushed I was at the face he made. Finding out he was correct, put everything into perspective very quickly. He deserves an accolade for attempting to eat it.

I’ve become a much better cook since then, but sometimes, my experiments aren’t very good. I have a different, and wonderful husband now. He eats whatever I put in front of him. If I say the meal isn’t very good, he smiles, and says, “You can’t hit a home run every time.” He knows how to stroke my desire for positive reinforcement.

The National Day of calendar information points out that a compliment about someone’s character and a compliment about how someone does something are two different things. I had to think about that for a minute, to decipher the difference. I figured out, I can always find some reason to praise someone, even if I don’t care for them as a person.

I challenge you on National Compliment Day to hand out genuine, plentiful compliments. The people around you will notice and I guarantee it will help you see others in a more positive light because you are looking for the good.

01/24/2017 0

No Incision Please

NATIONAL WITHOUT A SCALPEL DAY

No surgery, no stitches, no scars…

We observe National Without a Scalpel Day each year on January 16. The first angioplasty, a ground-breaking procedure to open a blocked blood vessel, was performed on this day in 1964 in Portland, Oregon, by pioneer physician Charles Dotter. This angioplasty allowed the patient to avoid leg amputation surgery. She left the hospital days later with only a Band-Aid.

In doing so, Dr. Dotter created the cutting-edge medical specialty called Interventional Radiology, where doctors treat disease through a tiny pinhole instead of open surgery. These doctors use x-rays and other medical imaging to see inside the body while they treat disease. These advances changed all of medicine.

Today, minimally invasive, image-guided procedures (MIIP) can treat a broad range of diseases throughout the body, in adults and children:• cancer• heart disease• stroke• aneurysms• life-threatening bleeding• infertility• fibroids• kidney stones• back pain• infections• blocked blood vessels• many other conditions

Even though trained specialists perform MIIP throughout the world, many people do not know about MIIP or if they could benefit from these life-changing treatments. The Interventional Initiative was established to raise awareness and educate the public about MIIP.

Yes, I know, it is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Do Nothing Day, Religious Freedom Day and Fig Newton Day. This was the day I had not heard of, but know many people who have benefitted from no scalpel use, so thought I would share the history of it. A big thank you to revolutionary doctors like Dr. Charles Dotter and our modern medicine.

01/16/2017 0

Splashing is Fun

The National Day of Calendar doesn’t explain when Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day was started, by whom, or what for, but admit it, if you see a child splashing in a puddle it makes you smile. There is something fun and freeing when you see or do it.

Way back when, my best girl chum was a classmate named Barb. We must have been seven or eight. She would come home on the school bus with me on occasion. Our favorite pastime was making “secret” mud holes in the defunct garden, so it must have been late October when we did it. Our goal was to have one of my older sisters step in it. I don’t remember that ever happening. One time we didn’t mark the booby trap and Barb stepped in it with her school sneakers on. My mother was not very happy with us and did her best to clean the sneaks. I am still laughing that it was one of us that stepped in the mud.

I picked my grandson up from school yesterday. There was sloppy snow near the exit door of the school. I can’t tell you how many fifth grade boys had to stomp in that slop. They looked at the student next to them to see if they had splashed them, then laughed if they were successful. I smiled inwardly.

When I first started dating my husband we were at a summer picnic. The weather was as warm as could be but it was pouring. We decided we might as well dance in the rain. Our friends thought we were acting like children. Oh well. It’s a great memory and we had fun doing it.

I’m sure most of you have seen the video of the toddler “walking” the dog. The one where the dog is standing there, the leash lies on the ground, and the child is stomping in puddles. It’s a good thing some parts of us never grow old no matter how many birthdays we celebrate.

It’s supposed to rain today in my neck of the woods in New York state. I’m glad there will be some puddles to splash in.

01/11/2017 0

OMG! I Need Chocolate

I’m celebrating National Bittersweet Chocolate Day by telling you about my day yesterday. It started when I went out to fill the bird feeder. Sometimes, you have to admit your own foibles and laugh at yourself, just to carry on. Without really thinking ahead, I got my little bucket of seed, carefully stepped outside the sliding glass door onto the step, then onto the snow-covered ground, in flat soled moccasins…..of course I slipped and fell. My right butt cheek hit the corner of the step and lets just say it’s a bit sore this morning. I’m certainly glad there was no camera around. The squirrels and birds thought a patio size dinner table was quite the treat, nothing went to waste but my dignity.

I then went to my sewing studio and played with my new free-motion quilting machine, fabric, and organization. I was satisfied with the outcome, especially how nicely the machine works.

Monday afternoons I have the privilege of picking my grandson up from school and taking him to his private Karate lesson. It’s amazing how much he improves on a weekly basis. If we have time to kill between school and class we often stop at the local quilt shop, his choice over getting hot chocolate. (An empty stomach for class is a good thing.) He has a grand eye for color and helps with my selections. The street he lives on is one of those city streets that doesn’t get a lot of visits from the snow plow. By the time I got back on the expressway to come home, the underside of my car was snow-covered. It was 23 degrees and nothing was melting. When I got to my exit ramp, for whatever reason, everyone in front of me stopped….I hit the brakes, but they locked. They was no screeching of tires, swearing, or swerving; it was more like a big box sliding across the flat kitchen floor! I hit the back of the car in front of me with a big thump. Oh Crap! Long story short, there was no visible damage on either of our cars, we exchanged insurance card photos just in case and went on our way. I considered not even mentioning it to my hubby, but just in case the phone rings, I decided if I whined about what a bad day I had, I might get sympathy instead of disgust. It worked great!

So this morning I sit telling you of my immense need for chocolate yesterday to calm my nerves while trying not to put pressure on my right butt cheek. It hurts! Now it is snowing again, and we are supposed to get freezing rain about noon. I’m staying in the house! I wonder if there is any chocolate left in the cupboard.

01/10/2017 1

Sue Spitulnik

Writing, Sewing, Travel, and Thoughts

Category