Sophie's Story

   The day had finally arrived. It was Anne's wedding day. A day she had been planning for a year and a half.     C, Lynn who was our tech, and I made the trip up to the place Anne had chosen for her venue. It was a two and a half hour drive. Since it was supposed to be very cold out, like many degrees below zero, we packed some emergency supplies. We had blankets, foot and hand warmers and a supply of chocolate bars. The ride up was pleasant. The sun was shining and the roads were clear. I was eager to attend this wedding. I had been hearing about it during the planning and saw the pictures of what she wanted to do. I was looking forward to seeing how it would all come together.    We had made arrangements to borrow Marie's hotel room so we could change clothes. It wasn't very practical to travel in our dress clothes due to the cold. We met Marie's boyfriend at the entrance to the hotel and he let us into the room. We had arrived in plenty of time to change.    On

   It happened this week. The lovely store where I happily spent the last year and a half closed. The owner gathered us together a week ahead of time to let us know that he had sold us to a large chain.    To say we were devastated is an understatement. We had all worked so hard for the last year. We'd taken good care of our customers. Our financial picture was looking better. We were all hopeful about the future. We had become a little family, a good team.   Now it's all gone.    Anne (the manager) and I were especially hurt. We had both come from large corporate pharmacies and wanted something different. We wanted to work someplace where we could really take care of people. Where we could get involved in the community. We wanted to work someplace where we could have a career and a life. Anne wanted to work someplace where she wouldn't have to farm her future children out to daycare every day. I wanted to work someplace that would allow me to attend church on Sundays

   It's C's birthday today. I have no present for him and our budget doesn't allow dinner at a fancy restaurant. I've told him in the past that I feel bad about that.    He has the same answer every single time. He says,"You are my present." I always thought that was his way about making me feel better about not having kind of material gift for him.    Then I started to think about it. He and I are in the same boat. We are at an age where there is nothing we really want as far as material goods are concerned. We have enough of what we need. We have our health. We have some good friends. We have our faith. We have each other. Do we really need more?    Instead of spending money on him for his birthday, I'm going to spend time with him. I think we'll walk around the Mall of America. We might go to Como and look at the flowers. We may even go to Cafe Latte for a piece of cake. I'm not sure. It will be whatever C wants to do.   In the end that

   C and I are having a disagreement about the weather we are having right now. He loves it. It is above 30 sunny and there is no snow on the ground. I do not love it. I don't like it. Not one bit. It's too warm for this time of year and worst of all there is no snow.    I happen to like snow. Partly because it's pretty. There's nothing like looking at fresh snow in an even blanket on the ground. When it's cold the snow sparkles. It makes the bare branches of trees look lovely. It hides all the dead grass, dead flowers and unraked leaves. It just gives the world a bright fresh look,like clean sheets on a bed.    We need the snow. It provides moisture that is needed for crops when they are sown in the spring. It provides many people with exercise and entertainment. There are people who depend on the snow for their livelihood. When we don't have snow, resorts in the northern part of the state have no business and that's not good.    To be honest I just fl

   One of the segments that CBS Sunday Morning does on the last Sunday of the year is Hail and Farewell. As you may guess from the title  it is a tribute to important people who have passed away that year. There are a variety of people actors,politicians,producers,scientists,athletes,designers and religious leaders.    There was one name on the list the surprised me, John Gagliardi. I'm sure most people who watch CBS Sunday Morning have no idea who John Gagliardi was, except a few from Minnesota.  For those of you who do not know, he has one more games than any coach in college football history. In his 64 total years of coaching he won 489 games. Joe Paterno comes in second at 409 games.    The interesting thing about Gagliardi is the way he coached. He was not your typical college football coach. For starters, his players called him John, not Coach. He ran a very unconventional program and the results can speak for themselves. He didn't allow tackling in practice along wit

   As many of you who have read this column know, New Year's Day is my favourite holiday. It's the first day of the clean slate that is the upcoming year. You don't have to worry about buying gifts or endless social gatherings. It is perfectly fine to celebrate the coming of the new year alone or with a few close friends. I can wish anyone I want a Happy New Year without fear of causing offense. It's not the commercial nightmare that Christmas has become.   It seems that lately unexpected things seem to be happening to me. I'm getting good at dealing with the curve balls of life. I didn't expect anything to happen in 2018. I had survived a job change. I was dealing with working part time.  I started a Personal Progress plan. I starting volunteering at church twice a month. No major obstacles could be seen. I looked forward to having a rest after the tumult of 2017.   It never seems to work that way for me. Just when I think I have smooth sailing or clear ski