Reading To Mom From “The Blue Book”

 by Kevin Burton    We called it the Blue Book, and it was/is a gift from God, via Grand Rapids.    There was a season, still very fresh in memory, when my mother, having slowly lost most of her abilities, was bedridden, periodically quite discouraged, badly in need of comfort.    Toward the end of …

Rescue, Restoration After Colombian Quake

by Kevin Burton    A young boy has his mother back. From the jaws of tragic loss, comes delicious, unspeakable joy.    A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia Aug. 10. Since then we’ve read stories with updates on the death toll, the number of people missing and damage to buildings. But one story grabbed me …

GNN: Teen Uses Lasso To Save Drowning Man

by Kevin Burton    Whatever skillset you have, you can use it for good just when a neighbor needs it most.    That’s the theme of today’s stories from the Good News Network.    The more troubling, heartbreaking news must be covered. We can’t stick our heads in the sand and ignore reality. But it …

Double Takes This Weekend In Twinsburg

by Kevin Burton   You know, if you’ve seen one twin, you’ve seen the other.    And you can see plenty this weekend, if you’re in the Cleveland area, at the 51st Annual Twins Days Festival.    Twinsburg, Ohio is about 26 miles south of Cleveland and north of Akron. The town of Millsville was …

Every Dog (Eventually) Has His Day On Page 7

by Kevin Burton    If I said today’s post represented equal time for dog lovers, you’d say “surely your definition of equal is skewed.”    You’d say “seems to me in your world, cats are more equal than others.” You could say this is more like throwing dog lovers a bone.    You would be …

Five Choices For Disaffected American Expats

by Blake Bachelor CNN    (Blogger’s note: Yesterday we ran the first part of a BBC story explaining why many Americans, especially retirees, are leaving for other places. Today reporter Blake Bachelor gives details of just where to go and how best to thrive there.)    Here are five countries that are well-suited for retirees. …

Seeking The American Dream In Other Places

by Blake Bachelor CNN     Drawn by sunshine or a lower cost of living, a growing number of Americans are choosing to live their golden years outside the US, in the hope that it will better suit their financial or lifestyle needs and wants.    While official numbers aren’t available, companies and organizations that specialize …

Strangers Build Community Via Co-Housing

by Charlotte Cox BBC    When Nikki Little and John Porter retired, they considered buying a bungalow for just the two of them.    Instead, they invested in a one million-pound  ($1.33 million US) house tucked away on Devon’s rugged and remote Hartland Peninsula – and looked for a community of like-minded people to join …

Mom Gave Me Birth, Gave Back My Birthday

by Kevin Burton    Today we talk birthdays on what would have been my mother’s 92nd. She died May 4, leaving an unfillable hole in my heart and life.    She is gone from this life but far, far from forgotten. There were many special days while mom was with us. Birthdays were among the …

Missing My Mom And Defining “Carry On”

by Kevin Burton “And when one of us is gone, and one of us is left to carry on, then remembering will have to do..” “You and Me Against The World” Helen Reddy    The first song I played after learning of my mother’s death on May 4, was “First Morning In Heaven,” by The …