..* * * CONGRATS to MARCI for being the WINNER! * * *good afternoon!
grab a cuppa something, this one might be a long one... but there is good stuff at the end... a giveaway!
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last night i had the
privilege of meeting Mary Lucas. she is the (accidental as she calls herself) author of
Lunchmeat & Life Lessons. she was speaking at our local high school and i tagged along with a friend.
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the book was originally published in 2006, so you may have heard of this lovely book, read about it in the local paper or maybe have a copy on your own bookshelf.
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when Mary was done speaking, i wanted more. i could have listened to her speak all night! a couple of things that made a connection for me right off the bat were that 1) she is a local right here in
kansas city, and 2) that i too am a daughter, and have learned some life lessons from my dad, which i will share with you....keep reading.
Mary is from a large family. For those of you that live in
kansas city you may know of that family when you hear
Bichelmeyer Meats. started by her father and still a family owned and ran business today.
Lunchmeat & Life Lessons is a memoir and tribute to her father.
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i stayed up late last night reading the book. i could not put it down. there are so many good lessons to take from this book...personally &
professionally. i think this book should be read by everyone that is in a slump, think they are in a dead end job, raising children, or are in need of a large dose of inspiration.
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her father had great wisdom. saying things like: be a person who makes something happen, if you don't like someone they don't like you, it's not the pursuit of happiness but the happiness of pursuit that inspires, celebrate every chance you get, inspire yourself.
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as i finished the book this afternoon, i cried. i cried for her loss of such a fantastically wise man. and for her ability to become this 'accidental author' to teach us all, to make our lives a little bit better by teaching us what her father taught her.
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so i started thinking about my own dad. i would say that my dad is a man of few words. but when he says something, you better listen. i would like to share here with you a few of the life lessons my dad has taught me. we all have our own list and i think we can all learn so much from each other.
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lesson one: we spent many summer weekends at the lake water skiing. although i don't remember what age i was, i remember my dad telling me once "when it gets bumpy, hold on tight". i know he was referring to me
crashing over bumpy waves, but still today i use this wisdom when i find myself in a 'bumpy' situation.
lesson two: "mess with the bull you're going to get the horns". dads way of saying 'be cautious'. i always remember this when i am in a situation treading on thin ice.
lesson 3: be on time. my dad is never on time...he's always early! an if you are meeting him at his house say at 8am.... he will be waiting in the driveway when you arrive promptly at 7:45 and make you question 'what time is it really? are we late?!". he is just always ready. a good lesson for everyone at every point in life.
lesson 4: "i am not the keeper". this was more of a wake up call but still a life lesson. i was probably 22 years old. i was out drinking with a
roommate, ahem, on a weekday night. i locked the keys to my car in the trunk. at 1:30am i phoned my dad....hi dad, you're the only one with the extra set of car keys...can you help me out? always willing to help, he said sure! wow, just like that? sure?! just like that at 1:30am on a
work night?! i was sure he'd be
getting the coolest dad ever award. so i waited...and when i heard a horn honking, i looked up and it was him...driving at a pretty good clip.... he yelled '
kathi...
i'm not the keeper anymore', threw my keys to me...and kept on driving. i got what i needed, the extra set of keys. i also got a
wake up call. he didn't even yell at me up one side and down the other. he just made an impact...a life lesson. as i said above...he's a man of few words...but you better listen. ;)
still with me? need a refill? last life lesson then we'll get to something fun!
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lesson 5: 'don't burn your bridges'. my dad has worked in the kansas city area, and in the same business (electrical) for his entire career. he knows a ton of people. growing up i always thought i had my butt covered (CYA), but it never failed my dad knew what i had done, or where i had been. he has 'eyes' all over the city because he knows so many people. as i entered corporate america the best advice he ever gave was 'don't burn your bridges'. you just never know when you might need to reference your past. good advice i still use today.
last night after her speech, when i was having Mary sign my books, she asked what part of the speech i liked best. i lost it. started crying because her speech touched me so much and reminded me of the lessons my own father, luckily still living, has taught me. she reminded me that i can still learn from my dad and every time i hear someone speak about this type of motivational stuff, it reminds me to not take things for granted.
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i told Mary about my wee blog that i have and if i could have her permission to talk about her book and link to her sites.
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not only did she agree...she gave me a signed copy of her book to giveaway!!
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RULES for the giveaway:
* leave a comment here and i will enter you once, (non-reply comments cannot win, i need to have your email address to contact you)
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the afterword in Mary's book, page 103
"Did this story bring back memories of someone special that you have loved and lost?
Someone who lives on in your heart?
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Mary, thank you for the book for my giveaway, your speech and for the lessons you are passing on to all of us.
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i'll take comments, for the giveaway, until saturday February 6th at 8:00pm. good luck!
photo credits:
photo 1 taken by me, photos 2-5 from google
i tried it on my dining room table and other places throughout the house. but it finally landed here in my kitchen. it holds items that i use daily.
mind you this is not a very big piece, but by bringing it into the kitchen it caused me to switch everything else on the counters around. does that happen to you? i was kind of excited about it, because i was getting tired of what i had out and around in the kitchen anyway. specifically what i had above my cook top. i love that i have the ledge, mantel, shelf what ever you call it. i usually have it filled with all different home decor items based on the seasons. but with my new lazy susan loaded up i wanted to keep the ledge simple.
i ended up finding these wood bowls in a stash i have. i have always loved them, just never could really find a place for them . . . until now! i love them on the ledge. so simple. almost primitive looking. they are exactly the look i was going for.
also in the switcharoo this lamp got moved. i leave this lamp on day and night. i know, it's not very 'green' of me to do that. but i like how it lights up a dark little corner during the day and at night, if someone gets up, it provides a soft light without having to turn on all the others. and now . . . it actually has a new purpose.
you see, this little light actually puts off some heat. i have to watch which cabinet i place it under for that reason. i never like it under my spice cabinet because i just think that the heat probably isn't good for the spices. but it is perfect for under the cabinet that holds my coffee cups! i have moved the cups to the bottom, directly on the heated shelf, and they are actually warm!
how about that?! already warmed up cups for my morning latte.
i just love accidental great ideas! do you have any accidental great ideas that you would like to share? i bet you do! i would love to hear them! just add them to my comments . . . lurkers welcome!
