The Power of "Thanks"

This past week, I asked the second grade class I read to if they gave away one of the Valentine stickers I gave them. Nods and smiles filled the room. Satisfied the majority had followed through, I moved on to a Robert Sabuda pop-up book. robertsabuda.com  Table by table, I walked among the students and opened a page of Winter's Tale.  Eyes popped. Some gasped. It's magic! It's a miracle! were exclaimed again and again.

While I still had their attention, I gave each child a blank card and envelope. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," were Snoopy's words on the front. I added, "This is what bucket-fillers do. Sign it and give it to someone who's done something nice for you. Pay close attention to their face when they read it, so you can tell us about it next week." Linda Lou asked if she could write hers in Chinese. Sure. She and her family moved here last year from China and didn't speak any English, just Mandarin. I admire their courage to start anew.

The Power of "Thanks" by best selling thriller author Brad Meltzer bradmeltzer.com  was featured in the January 27, 2013 Parade Magazine Views. Go to parade.com and search for his full story.
Briefly: He wrote, "Shortly after 9/11, I got an email from a sailor stationed on a submarine.  He had found one of my novels and was writing to say thank you for entertaining him.
"If a novel could help take a service member's mind off things, I wanted to send many more books."  I made some calls and publishers delivered 40,000 books to overseas troops anonymously.
"Fast forward 11 years: I was on a USO tour with other authors . . . visiting eight bases in 10 days. In a briefing room, a dark-haired captain from Albuquerque turned to me and said, 'I want to thank you for donating all those books.'"
"I had traveled there to 'repay' the thanks from the sailor on the submarine. But here was this captain thanking me."
When Meltzer got home, he tracked down the sailor. When he expressed how his note touched him, the sailor was quiet. He asked if he was okay. . . The sailor said he'd lost his mother to breast cancer a few days earlier. Meltzer said, "My mother passed from breast cancer, too. I think I'm supposed to give you a message. 'Our mother's never leave us. Ever.'"
Meltzer closes with, "Sometimes we feel alone in the universe. But sometimes it is clear that we are profoundly connected."

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Valentines & Elephants

Pickled beets left a Valentine on my plate.  I promise I did not alter their drop of juice.

If I had the memory of an elephant, I would never forget to send Valentines. I would remember everybody's name, their birthday, anniversary, get well or encouragement card.  I would always know where my car keys are and my car.  I can only wish and keep trying.

I read Carol McCloud's Fill A Bucket to a second grade class.  When a person does something nice for someone, it fills that person's bucket and the giver's.  Each child smiled remembering something they had done that put a smile on someone's face.  Bullies are bucket dippers.  Not only do they take out of the other person's bucket, they take out of their own.  It's a "nobody feels good" moment.  I gave each student two Valentine stickers with the instructions to keep one and give the other away.

One of my favorite cards is from leanin'tree.com   In the kid quips section, 7 year-old Harris Weinstein's card says: If I had TEN thumbs * I'd put them ALL UP for YOU.

Nobody ever died from too much praise.   A local doctor paid the tuition for several nursing students.  I've never met him, but he deserved my hand written thank you note.  Appreciation goes a long ways.  Next Wednesday I'm giving each student a blank thank you card to fill out and give to someone they appreciate.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

BIRTHDAY MUFFINS

Today's my birthday, but I won't add pounds if I only dream about Bacon Muffins.

If you make them, tell me if you like them. 

BACON MUFFINS

Makes 12 muffins

1 egg

¼ cup cooking oil

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

¼ cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Fry 15 or more slices of bacon until crisp, then crumble.

Grease muffin cups. I add about a teaspoon of bacon dripping to each cup.

Mix batter. Set aside some bacon crumbles. Add rest to batter, mix and place in papers in a muffin tin. Sprinkle extra crumbles on top. 

Bake 400° 20-25 minutes

From Grandma’s Favorite Muffins, Osakis, Minnesota. You can get the details from their site: just-like-grandmas.com

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Super Bowl 47 2013

Good for morale. Good for the economy.

Who do you think's going to win?  I think SF will, but what do I know?  I haven't been in the stands to watch either of them.  Whoever wins, it will be hashed and rehashed a long time.  Right now my concern is making spinach balls and hot mustard sauce to take to a party.

I wish I was in New Orleans today for the game and the food.  I'm in Mississippi, but ours is different.  When I googled Super Bowl food, I found huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-scott/healthy-and-vegan-super-bowl-food_b_2585699.html.  She also has a book I'm ordering. The Healthy Voyager's Global Kitchen-150 Plant Based Recipes From Around The World. 

Miss Carolyn has a great blog post on healthy and vegan eating in The Big Easy, Chocolate City, New Orleans.
   Briefly: Try the TheGumboShop.com for great Cajun cooking.
   For great coffee and veggie sandwiches, it's royalblendcoffee.com
   If you're interested in Latin veggie and vegan, try lamacarena.com
   For African vegan, go to bennachinrestaurant.com
   And for veggies and gluten free, it's cafecarmo.com

Here's to a great game and great food!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series