Newsdump ~ Sunshine News

Never, if you can help it, miss seeing
the sunset and the dawn.
John Ruskin

Happy Makers

      As we went into the 21st Century, we as a nation and as individuals were faced with the threat of the Y2K bug. Concern was for our family's and friends' safety. Speculation on what could go wrong was our daily feed from the experts for a good two years before.
      Few knew that the Y2K bugs were stopped in their tracks in our yard. On that fateful New Year's Eve, the world held its collective breath. But not to worry. Dandi, our wonder dog found them and wissed them away while walking in our yard.
      The millenium came and went. All the worry was for naught. When the bruhaha had passed, the year ahead held promise, as every new year does.
      Each year Valentines comes with cards of love and brisk candy and flower sales. Then spring and Easter followed by Mother's and Father's Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mixed in is St. Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras with church lawn fêtes, carnivals and festivals, and birthdays, anniversaries and weddings.
      Ah, yes, in 2000, I turned the BIG 55. Just before my big day, I met a man who was 92 but looked 70ish. And, his second wife who appeared to be in her 60s, he assured me was 91. I asked his secret to which he said, "Don't spin your wheels and put sand on the tracks."
      This was just after a road trip. The clerk at a roadside McDonald's gave me the senior citizen discount without my asking.
      Sniff. Sniff. So much for family honesty.
      We all tease about aging, still, milestones are good, don't get me wrong. Celebrations are wonderful but it is the everyday things that make life worthwhile. In the book 14,000 Things To Be Happy About by Kipler, she lists the ordinary, even the mudane "happy makers."
      Sunrise, sunset, a smile, a baby's face, the unconditional love of your dog, cat, goldfish, a blue sky, a picnic, a warm house in winter, a cool house in summer, rain on the roof, flowers in spring and summer, a hug. The list goes on.
      These happy makers remind me of an everyday treat. It is often overlooked, but it can lift the weight of the world from our shoulders, if only for a few minutes.
      But to tell you what it is, let me back up. I read that Baseball's Rob Carew's sweet sixteen year old daughter suffered with incurable lukemia. Her mixed heritiage prevented a match for a bone marrow transplant.
      Still, she remained upbeat. One of her joys was just an ordinary day at home with her family. As she rode back to the hospital, after what would be her last time at home, a warm breeze washed over her face. She smiled and told her family that it was such a treat to have the wind on her face.
      14,001.