Category Archives: From the Heart

Stories about the people who touch my life.

Thank you, Beverly Cleary.

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When I heard that Beverly Cleary passed away at the age of 104, my mind was instantly flooded with wonderful memories of childhood reading.

I got lost in the Ramona books. Ramona was brave, and I was shy. She was loud, and I was quiet. She was a pest, and I was . . . well, pesty! My older sister can attest to that. Sitting next to me at the dinner table was not a treat; unless you enjoy receiving an extra helping of your little sister’s vegetables on your plate. If I was lucky, she wouldn’t notice, and she would eat them! (Sorry, Lynn.)

Anyway . . . I can still picture the exact shelf in my grade school library where the Beverly Cleary books were displayed. I would sit on the floor for what seemed like hours, sorting through the hard cover books, hearing the distinctive crack of a spine, and breathing in the scent of paper.

Because Beverly Cleary was such a prolific author, there was always a new treasure to discover. Once I finished the Ramona series, I moved on to Henry and Beezus, Ellen Tebbits, Ribsy, and Socks. All . . . MAGIC.

So, thank you, Beverly Cleary, for allowing me to explore my imagination through your delightful books. Because of you, and many other children’s book authors, I will never forget how good it feels to love a book.

— Debra

Nice as pie.

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Sometimes when the world is spinning a little too fast, someone does something really nice. Like bake a pie . . . for your Dad . . . on his 80th birthday. Not just any pie . . . his very FAVORITE lemon meringue pie.

Thank you, friend.

Barnes & Noble?

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cottagejournal

One day, as I was browsing through home decor magazines at Barnes & Noble, an older woman slowly walked by, then turned around and focused her attention on me.

“You don’t mind if I sit next to you, do you?” she said as she cozied in, shoulder touching mine.

“Seriously?” I thought to myself as I glanced down the length of the bench. There was plenty of room for her not to be sitting practically on top of me!

She told me that she was waiting for her two sons, and I quickly realized that she was tired, cold, and more than ready to call it a day. I thought of my own grandma, and suddenly I didn’t mind sharing my warmth.

She asked where I lived, and then described a family home surrounded by two acres of spruce, walnut, and hickory trees, where her grandchildren loved to run, collect nuts, and chase the squirrels. “Walnut trees only produce every other year, you know,” she said.

Actually, I didn’t know! She went on to delight me with the details of a life well lived, and I listened with interest until her sons came to take her home.

In that moment, I missed my grandma intensely, and I wondered if she had somehow engineered this meeting to remind me that our connections with others, no matter how brief, can bring the moments of joy that make life worth living.

I may have missed out on the latest trends in home decor that day, but I left with something much more valuable; remembering that qualities like patience, kindness, and respect will never go out of style.

— Debra