Dear Reader:

The other day when we talked about a “life well loved” and how fitting that would be as a final compliment to anyone’s life…I was privy to one of Jo Dufford’s “Erma Bombeck’s” humorous perspectives on life. I decided this was the time to share it with all of you in case you missed the comment following the original blog post. It is too good to miss.

Jo’s wit and humor has been a part of her personality and ‘claim to fame’ since I first heard her name as a first-year teacher in Summerville. I was told if I liked storytelling in my classes…go see Jo. I did and my world was changed. Just listening to her teach and tell stories convinced me that this was the true path to learning. It never failed me for the thirty-something years I taught. Thank you Jo…my life-long mentor and friend.

Here is an excerpt from Jo’s comment to a “Life Well Loved.”

… “Just wanted to share a crazy little quirk: If I do something like freshen up a guest room or Colby’s room and it wasn’t on the list, I add it just so I can check it off. Now nobody cares about that list, but it makes me feel better that I really did do something today since many of the other things had no checks by them. Of course, I usually had time to work on the puzzle on the card table and work the crossword puzzle, but I only did those while I was resting.

Resting might be the wrong word, because that would indicate you had done something to make you tired. But as you said, life is all about love, and I love others every day, and I don’t need a list for that. One can pause to pray for someone you don’t even know who may be in need, or send a card, or visit someone who is sick. Those things happen spontaneously as people come to your mind. At the end of my life, all I would hope they say about me is your title, she lived a “Life well loved.”

So until tomorrow….“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.” Erma Bombeck

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Love my little flowers who never stop blooming…even in this terrific heat wave!