I Feel Good!!

The last five days were wonderful because I felt well and I had a great time with family and friends in Dorrance! And to top it off, I returned home today (Sunday) to a 'hat garden' in my kitchen. Each hat was attached to a balloon that had a face drawn on it. Now I am not sure about the artistic abilities of my friends, but the balloon faces certainly made me laugh when I saw them. I hope those weren't portraits of ME!!! I actually could see the self-portraits of those who gave me the hats. I now have enough hats so that I can wear a different one each day for the next three weeks. Thank you so much to all who shared a hat and note with me!! I can't wait to wear them...

Back to the trip to Dorrance. First of all, the weather was great for me - it was cool the whole time and very little sun. Now for me that was heaven sent, but for harvesting wheat - well let's just say it made it slow going. I did ride in the combines with Kevin and Joey. There is something about harvest time that draws people back to the country. I guess it is getting in touch with mother nature or actually reaping what you sow. But, I felt something that was really special when I was riding in the combine. It might be the generosity of the earth or it could have been the conversations with Kevin and Joey. Riding in the combine during wheat harvest is a great place to have interesting and meaningful conversations. I highly recommend it to others!

I want to give a special 'shout out' to my sister Susan. She is the one who puts up with me, houses me, cooks for me, and takes care of me when I visit Dorrance. You will be glad to know that she also puts me in my place when she gets a little too much of me! That's what older sisters do, oops, did I mention that I am the youngest in my family. Yes, Susan, Deb, and Bill are older than I am!! (They like to say that I am the baby, but I prefer the term - youngest.) Anyway, back to why I want to give Susan the special shout out. Susan has a generous heart that touches so many people. For as long as I can remember, she has opened her home to so many different people. I know that many of you who are reading this now will understand what I am saying because you have probably stayed, visited, or eaten meals at her home. And you know how comfortable Susan makes you feel when you are there. Susan is also a GREAT 4th and 5th grade teacher - just take my word for that one. Everybody loves Mrs Thielen! In addition to her work as a teacher, Susan also runs her farm. That little sentence might seem pretty insignificant to some of you, but let me tell you that taking care of the farm is a HUGE task. So you see how talented Susan is - she has two full-time jobs AND she opens her home to so many of us.

I have wanted to write about Susan for a long time because I have wanted to acknowledge the herculean effort she put forth when Joe was facing his battle with cancer. I gave the eulogy at Joe's funeral and I so wanted to talk about how proud I was of Susan during that difficult time. But I knew there was NO way I would have been able to hold it together during the speech. So here it is now - Susan, your efforts of the last three years have been nothing short of phenomenal in what you have achieved. I can only think that it must have been close to the effort needed to climb Mount Everest. I am sure you felt times that you could not have carried anything else on your shoulders or that you could not have taken another step or that you could not catch your breath. Just know that there are many who admire you for your strength and courage and that you are a role model for many of us on how to face the difficulties that life can give us. You are a great sister!

Love to all,
Mary Kay