We all have favorites – a favorite song, shirt, activity or meal. We also want to be the favorite – the prize-winning student, the angelic child or the loyal grandchild. I often say to my daughter, “You are my favorite baby girl” and her response is “I’m your only baby girl.” I say the same to my son: “You are my favorite baby boy.” It is my way to show them how special they are to me individually because truly, they are both my favorites and my one and only son and daughter.
Month: July 2010
Laughter IS the Best Medicine
Although the old cliché sounds corny, laughter really is the best medicine sometimes. Nobody ever died of laughter. In fact, you don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. I love to laugh although others may not appreciate my loud cackle or the snorting that accompanies it. Sometimes, though, I forget how much I love it and how much I need it. Sometimes, I think we even forget to laugh while caught up with the drama of everyday family life, relationships and work-related stress.
Family Donates in Memory of Life Cut Short
Published in the 7/9/10 issue of the Suburban Journals Fairview Heights family donates in memory of life cut short New playground equipment added to center Family and friends say Lauren Glueck was a child at heart. Children flocked to her when she baby-sat and played on the playground at the Elks Lodge in Fairview Heights. So after Glueck died suddenly from cardiac arrest in November 2008 at 23, it only seemed fitting that her loved ones would honor her memory by helping build a new playground. [More...] "Kids loved her and she loved kids," recalled her mother, Patty Glueck, of Fairview Heights. After hosting a 2009 benefit in Lauren's honor, the Glueck family donated $5,000 for new playground equipment at the Old Lincoln Trail lodge. A bench in Lauren's honor and a new playground set sits next to the lodge banquet center, replacing worn-out metal equipment donated years ago. "Patty approached us and said that's what she wanted to do with the benefit money," said Brenda Morss, president of the Elks' Ladies Auxiliary. "It was a selfless act." Patty Glueck said the support she received from the lodge following Lauren's death made the decision easy. "The lodge opened up to us and gave us a place to go - they helped us through a very difficult time," she said. "Other members who had lost children shared their stories and made us feel like we weren't the only ones grieving. They are good people." A dedication ceremony was held last month. - Shannon Philpott
Kids Should Be Kids
Today, I realized I am a grown up. It’s not because I have a mortgage or a few stray gray hairs poking out. It’s not because my knees pop when I get out of bed or because I use clichés that people under 20 do not understand. I realized I was a grownup when I told my kids a story about “when I was a kid” and they both rolled their eyes, just like I did when I was younger. When I was a kid, I couldn’t stand it when those “wise” adults u sed to preach to me about what kids should do. Kids should be kids – how much more vague does that get?
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 