Sophie's Story

  I'm a very busy woman right now. I'm fighting temptation, walking the high road and putting my money where my mouth is all at the same time. Allow me to explain.   I'm upset with a few people right now. (They don't read this column or even know that I write it.) I'm certain they are blissfully unaware of how upset I am. They have no idea what I think of them at this moment.   I'm fighting the temptation to change that.   I believe that social media is a good thing when used properly. I've seen people in need get help, support being given and good new shared among my Facebook friends and groups that I belong to. Since many people check their page at least once a day word can get out pretty fast.   Unfortunately social media is also prone to misuse. It can be used to bully, shame and mock others. This is the temptation I'm fighting right now.    It would be a source of satisfaction to publicly call out the ones in question and subject them to an  

   One of the things I used to do was treat myself to a new spring outfit every Easter. I quit doing that a few years ago when it became harder to find dresses or skirt outfits that were both age appropriate and modest.   I decided to "shop my closet". What I found was a lavender two piece outfit. I hadn't worn it in several years. It still fit and I had a hat to match. I was hoping that I had something to dress it up a little. I has on a pearl necklace and earrings, but wanted a little more colour.   As we were preparing to go to church, C mentioned that it would be a bit chilly and that I would need a jacket or coat. It wasn't warm enough for my spring coat and it was too warm for my winter coat. I had just finished knitting a shawl that I thought might work.  The yarn was self patterning in shades of pink, lavender and grey. I found the shawl in my basket of knitted items. I settled it around my shoulders. The colours matched and it was just the right weight. I

   The past few weeks I've been struggling with something. After much thought,I've come to the conclusion that I need to throw a couple people out of my life. The problem is that they are family. You're not supposed to do that with family. You are supposed to love them a cherish them.   The problem is there is not much love and no cherishing. There is only anger, hurt and a lot of drama. I've done my best to keep the peace, to understand and to be respectful. It's just not working.   One of C's Facebook friends shared a video that C played for me. I'm going to get into a lot of trouble for mentioning it, but it's too good not to.   The video is a speech given by Madea,  a matriarch of an African American family. She is a character created by writer and actor Tyler Perry. The message in the speech is universal and transcends race, gender, religion and age. I urge all of you, especially those who are having trouble with or are in difficult relationshi

  Two men approached the counter at my pharmacy. One was younger and the other was elderly. The younger man had some papers in his hand. They both looked worried.   I came to them and asked how I could help them. The younger man told me that his mother was just released from the hospital. There was one medication that they needed and the prescription had been sent to a pharmacy that is not open on Sunday. He and his father were wondering if I could help. I looked at what they needed. It was an injectable blood thinner and something that could not wait until Monday. I made sure we had the drug in stock.   I've run into this situation many times before. We call the hospital, get the prescription and then fill it. It seems simple, but there is a lot that can go wrong in this process. I could tell that these two men were seriously concerned. Her next dose was due that evening and missing that dose could cause complications.   I couldn't find a phone number for the hospital on

  I saw a post that someone shared on Facebook a week or so ago. The post read "You don't need religion to have morals. If you can't determine right from wrong, you lack empathy and common sense, not religion."   I wasn't quite sure what to make of that. On one hand I was a little offended because this sounded like mild religion bashing. It seems to have become fashionable to bash those of us who practice a religion. We're deluded at best and homophobic bigots at worst. It's tempting at time to keep that part of my life in the closet because there are just too many people out there who make automatic assumptions about someone who openly practices a religion. It feels wrong for me to do that though because then it implies that I am ashamed of my faith and I'm not. The post seems to imply that religion is unnecessary.     On the other hand I can't really disagree with that statement. I know several people who seem to be two different people, the

   The last scarf I made in the "Scarf Project" was a purple scarf. (The Scarf Project was five scarves that I knitted, one scarf for each stepdaughter and one for my daughter-in-law.) It was made for my youngest stepdaughter Carmen.   It was by far the best scarf of the five, not because I was favoring anyone. It was because my skill and confidence grew with each scarf. I learned what worked and what didn't. I made some mistakes, I mean design elements. I've been told that is what happens in parenthood too.   I was very proud of that scarf. I was looking forward to giving it to Carmen and also a little scared. Carmen tends to be careless with her possessions. I was debating not giving it to her, but to keep it until a better or different time. I decided against this and send it along with C when he went to visit her.   I had asked him to take a picture of Carmen and the scarf.  He did. He told me that she liked it. I was happy. The shade I'd chosen complimen

  We went out last night with our friends Many and Jerry. We were planning on going to see the Whitesidewalls, a very popular local band. Those plans changed when  we realized that the venue would smell the fish from the traditional Friday fish fry.   We had a couple choices. The first was to go to the Knights of Columbus hall and dance to the big band that plays there once a month. The other was to go to the American Legion to see whatever band would be playing. The American Legion won. (We weren't really dressed for the KoC.)   We walked in and found a table. The band was already on stage and playing their first set. It was a large band. There were two guys playing six string electric guitars and another playing a jazz guitar. There was a bass player, a drummer, a keyboard player and another person sitting in the back playing bongos and a tambourine. There were five electric guitars on a stand and another twelve string electric sitting alone on another stand. I've never s

  Many Christian denominations are in the midst of their observance of the Lenten season. This is the season for repentance, reflection and prayer. The members of some faiths will fast or give up something for Lent. Roman Catholics do not eat meat on Fridays during this season.   I was raised in the Lutheran faith so I did not have to do any of these things. We did have a worship service every Wednesday night that we attended.   When I went to college, I had many Catholic friends. During Lent I would not eat meat on Fridays. Part of it was because I didn't want to possibly tempt them, but part of me also like the discipline of doing so. There are also a lot of meat free dished that are really good. I continued this practice for awhile after I left college even though I didn't have to. Eventually I stopped.    Giving something up for Lent has almost become sort of an American cultural thing. I have heard all kinds of jokes about giving things up for Lent. People gave joke