Trish Hermanson's Blog: Croutons - Seasoned Bits of Life, page 11

My 96-Year-Old Aunt Just Turned 24

My aunt Esther has lived ninety-six years, yet she just turned twenty-four.
She’s a “leaper,” one of those folks born on February 29, so her birthdate appears on the calendar only every four years, which is a convenient way to slice her age by a quarter.
And here’s the kicker: Esther wasn’t expected to live for a day when she was born a premie, weighing less than three pounds. She’s overcome other challenges, too: growing up in the poverty of the Great Depression in rural Waco,...

Help George - We're Desperate!

Do you experience “outrage exhaustion” from politics these days? Sometimes I do. How different our bickering and backbiting are from George Washington’s approach. He was known to honor everyone, according to biographer Mason Locke Weems.
How did the general and president develop such humility? Some trace it to his schooling as a teen when he hand copied 110 “Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour.” These axioms, first developed by French Jesuits, are enjoying a surge of popularity...

The Dark Side of St. Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is one of the saddest times of the year. Why? Because the day is often a reminder of loss - of what once was or what never has been. It’s a crushing day for those who have suffered a romantic relationship loss - and who hasn’t?
So it’s refreshing to see folks broaden the celebration into Pal-entine’s Day, a time to honor close friends through notes, gifts, and gatherings. We know how much our soul mates have made our lives better. This is a time to let them know.
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What Would You Name the 7 Dwarfs Today?

Walt Disney named his seven dwarfs after attitudes he observed around him. If he were naming dwarfs to reflect attitudes during this presidential election season, what might he choose?
Here’s my list, and please notice I’m not pointing a finger at any particular candidate. Voices like these shout from all corners in our national conversation.
* MESSIAH - “Trust me. I can fix anything.”
* SENTIMENTALIZER - “Remember the good old days? You deserve better again.”
* TRUTH TWISTER...

The Tragedy of Running from My Shadow

I laughed my way through Bill Murray’s movie “Groundhog Day” as I watched it again in preparation for this year’s event on February 2. Murray plays Phil, a self-centered TV meteorologist, who dreads covering the same Groundhog Day ceremony every year where a woodchuck supposedly forecasts the weather. If the rodent sees his shadow, he scoots back into his hole, and we have six more weeks of winter.
But just as the groundhog won’t face his shadow, Phil won’t face the shadows of his...

What Great Adventure Awaits You?

Trust me, Duane and I are not that adventurous. This is a trick photo taken at an exhibit on extreme sports. But although I’m not a big risk-taker, this expo got me thinking about a radical claim from author Harold Myra about our unpredictable, sometimes scary lives. “The truth is, we’re all plopped down in circumstances that can threaten, dishearten, or even overwhelm us. Only as we see life as an adventure from God do we experience life’s tang and purpose.”
Life as an adventure...

My 96-Year-Old Personal Trainer S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s Me

Meet Morrie, my “personal trainer,” who just turned ninety-six and stretches me in all sorts of ways.
I got to know Morrie when I saw him stretch his leg over a handrail at the gym and realized he’s more flexible than I am. When I complimented him, he showed me his routine and laughed. “Keep at it, and in a few decades you’ll be like me.”
That was encouraging because I sometimes feel that I’ve already lived beyond my expiration date. But at the rec center I watch Morrie move from...

Just Following Directions

Duane and I didn’t want to be accused of not following directions at the elementary school our granddaughter attends, so when we saw this banner announcing what to do, we complied.
Signs all around make me chuckle. Like this placard: “In case of fire, please leave the building before posting it on social media.” Really?
Printing errors make me laugh, too. Like this graduation bulletin: instead of saying “Music Provided By…,” it said, “Mucus Provided By….” Is it a ceremony for snotty...

Playing in the Worst of Times

I choked up when I heard this cellist playing a piece written by a prisoner in a Nazi stalag.Instead of succumbing to despair when he was tossed into this camp, French soldier Olivier Messiaen turned to what he knew: composing music. With the stub of a pencil and a bit of paper from a sympathetic guard, he wrote what became one of the Twentieth Century’s masterpieces, “Quartet for the End of Time” - after all, he feared his time was up.
Then three other imprisoned musicians joined...

Revelations from Our Family Meetings

The death of our pet mouse Critter ranked as one of the worst events of the year, I learned at an annual family meeting. And getting flannel sheets was one of the best events.
I’d never have known these without our annual family gathering, a practice we’ve followed for more than a quarter century to kick off the New Year. My husband Duane brought home this idea, and these meetings became a safe place to reveal our deepest feelings because everyone had a voice. We even moved after...