Last weekend we attended Theatre 301’s production of the musical, Annie, at Mount Calvary Church in Excelsior, MN. It was a very professional production and we were amazed by the talent of every actor. They shared by singing, dancing and helping the audience enjoy the play and be uplifted. Some of the cast were church members.

When is enough, enough? With all the recent winter snow, rain and wind, are you tired of it and feeling you’ve had enough? Even though it seems like winter will never end, we know it won’t last forever. We want the sun to come out tomorrow. There are also times in life when it feels like the bad stuff won’t end.

What does having “stuff” mean to you? We got to thinking about the subject of stuff because I (Lynn) went out to the garage recently and noticed a bag on a shelf. I pulled it out and found a hidden treasure, a new birdfeeder – that I had purchased last April! I was happy to find it – but it also made me realize that we have a lot of stuff.

Are the triggers in your life helping or hurting you? A situation, a sight, smell or sound can “trigger” positive or negative feelings that arise from past learning. These triggers are negative when they stimulate feelings like anxiety or sadness from connecting to something negative in the past. However, triggers can also be positive when they elicit good feelings connected to the past.

We wonder, where have you found wisdom for living a good life? We were looking through some family church cookbooks from several generations ago. These cookbooks were from country churches in Belmond, IA, Wanamingo, MN and a church in Mesa, AZ. We not only found some interesting recipes, we also found tips to help keep the household running smoothly and life lessons that can contribute to a recipe for a good life.

Do you remember reciting a little rhyme that goes “2-4-6-8, who do you appreciate?” It often was yelled by cheerleaders at a sports event. The crowd would yell back the name of the team they appreciated. Now, we’ll certainly yell back that we appreciate the team at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum – and here’s why.

What treasures are you seeking? There has been a lot of treasure seeking lately with the popular medallion treasure hunt at the St. Paul Winter Carnival and at the February Festival in Chanhassen. People looking for the medallion treasure were out in all sorts of weather and they were determined to find it.