Jenny Evans Dunham

One of my favorite TV advertisements is one that promotes the Royal Bank of Scotland. It shows a group of people out at a business lunch. One of them starts choking on some food. The other people at the table talk about how to do the Heimlich maneuver to help him stop choking. They’re talking; the guy is choking. Finally, you see a person from another table walk over and perform the Heimlich maneuver on the person. The choking guy is saved! The motto for the Royal Bank of Scotland is “Make It Happen.” Continue reading »

My four-year-old grandson had an interesting experience a few weeks ago. I gave his mom a box of MultiGrain Cheerios for them to enjoy. The next morning she noticed that my grandson was looking for food in the refrigerator. This was rather odd because his bowl of cereal was sitting on the table waiting for him. When she asked him why he wasn’t eating his Cheerios, he told her that some of them were burned and he didn’t want to eat them. Since this was his first time to eat MultiGrain Cheerios he didn’t understand why some of them were darker than others. Once his mom explained to him that they just looked different because they were made from a different grain he ate them without any problems. Continue reading »

This week I read the novel, The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks. Although it is a love story, it is so much more. Without giving away the plot or the ending, let me just say that the hero of the story has to make a very serious decision involving whether to keep a promise he made or to break it because of his love for the heroine. I found it extremely hard to put down the book once I started reading it because I wanted to know what he decided to do. Continue reading »

It wasn’t that long ago that my youngest grandson learned to walk. I remember how he would walk a little, fall down, cry a little, get back up, walk some more–over and over again. He got frustrated but he wasn’t willing to totally give up and stop trying to learn to walk. Today he is in constant motion and runs more than he walks. He succeeded in reaching his goal and then some. Continue reading »

Yesterday was September 11, a day that is forever stamped in the memories of most Americans. Although we personally may not have lost a loved one, our country lost something that day–the sense of security that we had always felt on our own soil. Continue reading »

I don’t know about you, but I have a big problem handling regret. It is so easy for me to tell myself that I didn’t do the right thing in a particular situation. For example, I know that I could have done a better job raising my children. Often, I wonder if I did things that will have a long-term bad effect on them. Maybe it’s my personality, but I tend to relive experiences and think about how I should have handled them. Continue reading »

I don’t know about you but sometimes I allow myself to feel bad because I’m getting older and haven’t achieved as many things as I would have liked. However, once again, the Olympic games provided some true inspiration for me. Another swimmer, Dara Torres, competed in the games and broke records at the age of 41. I couldn’t physically have done what she did at age 25 much less 41! During an interview with her, she mentioned that she has a team of people who work with her to help her overcome any problems that age presents, ie. sore muscles, fatigue, etc. Working with her team, she is able to do more than your average 41-year-old. Continue reading »

I don’t know about you but I enjoy watching the Olympic games whenever I can. One of my favorite sports to watch is swimming. This year I watched with bated breath as Michael Phelps broke a 36-year-old record by winning eight gold medals in a single Olympics. I remember watching him in 2004 and being amazed at his skill at that time. Imagine how much better he was this year after training for four more years! Personally, I’ve never been much of an athlete and I’m truly amazed by what people can get their bodies to do through constant hard work and training. It inspires me to do better in my projects - even though they’re not physical. Continue reading »

After having been in remission for some time, one of my neighbors is very ill with cancer. The ambulance has been to her house several times over the last month and she’s not doing too well at the moment. I can only imagine how terrible I would feel if a member of my family were suffering this way–but her husband always has a smile on his face. Whenever we speak about his wife and her condition, he chats in such a friendly manner. If I didn’t know what he is going through with his wife right now, I would never guess his situation. I know that he must suffer a great deal inside but he is showing the world a positive face. Continue reading »

This week we had primary elections in our state. Unfortunately, the candidate that I supported for governor lost by a very narrow margin. To say I am disappointed is a bit of an understatement. She represented real change and would have been a great asset to our state. So, does this defeat mean the end for her? Continue reading »