Jennifer Goble

May 15th. Doesn't that have a nice ring? This year, it is especially nice since Mother's Day was last Sunday and provided a splendid way to start the week.

Graduations are gone, here, or coming, and I absolutely love them: the smiles, family gatherings, hugs, energy, speaker, handshakes, and applause for awards. Mainly, I find them to be a celebration where the air is light, the future is beckoning, and whatever is heavy in life is set aside for the “Thank God it's over”, plus anticipation for the future.

I'm not one to complain about the price of eggs or gas, but on May 13, gas was $4.69 at Hudson and $4.15 in Sterling. When I was in high school, one quarter (25¢) would buy enough gas to give me the privilege of riding shotgun in my friend Bonnie's red pickup truck while we cruised Main.

His birth name is Gary Edward. He was born in 1942, and I wonder how I managed to live all these years without him.

At a recent graduation, two senior girls, accompanied by student musicians, sang “For Good” from the musical “Wicked.” I had not seen the movie nor the theater production, but the song's lyrics were emotional, intense, and touching. The final lyrics were: “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

Wikipedia tells us: “While knowledge is the accumulation of information, wisdom is knowing how, when, and why to use it to achieve a positive outcome.”

I've been thinking lately about how I take care of myself. I know for sure it isn't shopping. I had a massage (not message) today, and I was lying there in pure ecstasy, wondering how to do this every day, all day.

This article was published in the South Platte Sentinel on this day, July 2, 2014, twelve years ago. I've not changed one word. As we have this monumental anniversary of our country in two days, I thought it fitting to remind ourselves that even though change happens around us, what we believe and feel is constant and gives us strength and hope. God Bless America—Land that I love . . .

I'm a big fan of volunteering if it's someone else. I've done a lot of it in my life, and I decided there is something wrong with showing up, getting bossed around, and not getting paid. If someone wants to pay me, they've earned the right to tell me everything I do wrong—otherwise they don't.

Maybe it's because of the storms we've been having lately, but I've been thinking about home maintenance and wondering if there is a correlation between how we care for our homes and how we care for ourselves.