Conundrum!

It's funny how one simple word can turn your world upside down or make everything alright. It doesn't even have to be said to you; it can be overheard in someone else's conversation, in a commercial or news story on tv or the radio, or even in a song. It can also show up on facebook from a complete stranger or a friend you have never met.

Today, I spent my day doing everyday things, making important phone calls - being kept on hold and getting disconnected, cleaning, doing laundry, making beet horseradish (I'll blog about that one tomorrow) and somewhere in there, my thoughts kept going back to my mother who passed away almost seven years ago. I really don't know why I kept thinking of her, but no matter what I did, my thoughts drifted back to her, but it wasn't like I felt her presence, it was more of an empty, lonely feeling.

Now, back to the word thing. At different times in my younger life, when things just didn't make sense or didn't seem to have an answer, my Mom would say, "That's quite a conundrum." Apparently, she didn't say it to anyone else in my family, just to me and my husband. The word has no meaning to them, but it has become special to me, so whenever I hear it, I think of my Mom and know she is there with me. My husband will hear it and say, "Your Mom says Hi."

When my work was done and I sat down at the computer, I felt very sad. I checked out my usual stops on Drudge, email, facebook, and last but not least, I checked on my book friends in a group called Book Junkies. In this quickly growing family, they talk about books, of course, but also other important things, hopes, fears, laughs, and once in a while a fight breaks out. This evening, while I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, I came across a post by a new friend, Toney La Tripp, explaining the meaning of conundrum.

Thanks, Toney. You made my day!