Have you ever found yourself saying “I would really love to do that”, “I have always wanted to do that”, or “I wish I could do that”, yet never actually doing it? When you have said that, have you ever sat down and had a conversation with yourself and evaluated the reasons why you haven’t? It is understandable that there are sometimes limitations that are out of our control such as finances, health or unexpected occurrences. However, I would venture to say that a majority of the time doing what we want… Read More

I wrote to you about a week ago regarding the fact that my brother and I were working together to remodel my parents bathroom and convert their tub to a shower to make it easier for our dad as he deals with his Lymphoma. I am an avid watched of HGTV and I have to admit, I went into the project knowing that we were undertaking a major task. My brother has worked in the construction area for years, but I have always been the bookworm. My old friend self doubt raised… Read More

Coming off working with my brother to convert my parents bath into a shower, this seemed like an appropriate re-post. She was definitely guiding our hands this week. I will be back to regular new posts next week. Thank you all for your patience. They say, “If you build it, they will come”.  Such is the case with the First United Methodist Church in Okeechobee, Florida.   My grandmother was a member of the First United Methodist Church since she moved to Okeechobee in the 1940’s from Miami. My mom and dad… Read More

Throughout the life of the Bring Smiles to Seniors Program I have always said that one of the goals of this program is to ensure that those that “paved the way for us” are remembered and reminded that they are loved and cared about. Today I wanted to share with you exactly what I mean by that. History has shown us many generations over the years. Each one born into this world going through their lives hoping to leave the world a little better place than they found it for future generations…. Read More

Sometimes it is those unexpected moments in life that bring you opportunities that you might otherwise not have been able to experience. Moments that remind you of times gone by and at the same time bring new experiences that cement relationships that you already knew you had. This weekend my brother and I went to my parents house to work on converting their bathtub to a shower. With my dad’s lymphoma it was getting more and more difficult to get in and out of the bathtub and the last thing we need… Read More

When I woke up this morning, yes I wake up early, I started thinking about relationships. Not particularly familial or extended family relationships, but those that you come to know through your extra-curricular or outside activities. For me I especially think about those relationships that I have developed through the course of this program. I have the pleasure of hearing from people from all over and outside the country regularly. Some I have been in contact with since almost the beginning. A few I have met and some I have only conversed… Read More

Last evening I found myself buried in a sea of paper trying to help my mom and dad with all the insurance paperwork that we have to deal with as a result of my dad’s recent diagnosis of Lymphoma and his beginning chemotherapy. I have worked in the prescription drug benefit industry for over 30 years and even I have to admit there were times that I wanted to cry. No matter how many times you check and double check, the insurance company always seems to find something that you missed. They… Read More

When I was thinking about what to write about today, I thought it was time to provide an update on how we are doing in the Bring Smiles to Seniors program. I will let the numbers speak for themselves!   Liane: Special Mailings   1,310 cards provided to elderly nutrition programs to be delivered with meals 1,548 cards provided to our special mailing communities   Renee: Home Mailing Program   2,303 cards mailed to seniors at home (along with many other items) and kids dealing with major health issues.   Diane: Michigan… Read More

I wanted to thank you all for your comments and feedback on my posts so for. I got notification that I have now posted over 100 times on morningswithron.com and we have over 17,000 followers. Please continue to share with your friends and family as we try and reach even more people to bring a little something extra to their day. Also, I wanted to thank you for all your thoughts and prayers for my dad. The last month has been a bit trying as we deal with his diagnosis and try… Read More

Yesterday, I came across a quote by Debbie Gibson (think 80’s singer) that said, “live your life facing forward, not looking back at your past.” So few words for such a powerful statement and it caused me to start to evaluate how I live my own life. Am I guilty of living in the past? Sometimes, as I think we all are. But mostly I try and focus on the hopes of tomorrow and that is what seems to fuel my soul. There was a time in my life where it was… Read More