Washing my hands, reminds me of the waters of Chautauqua Lake, Which reminds me of the majestic tolling of the Miller Bell Tower, Which reminds me of the many kinds of music that fills the air and our hearts, Which reminds me of the laughter of children and the beauty of our gardens, Which reminds…
I recall a poster from WWII in London’s Imperial War museum: Your courage, Your cheerfulness, Your resolution will bring us Victory! Every citizen of the world can learn from this 1939 pre-blitz motto from the past and apply it to our viral pandemic today. For…
This past Sunday was a day of calm in the storm as I felt God’s presence surrounding me and giving me rest and hope. Not that He doesn’t surround me every single day, because He does! But, this Sunday felt different because I couldn’t attend Sunday church service due to my self- quarantine after just…
We are in the midst of dealing with COVID-19 pandemic changing our daily lives for months to come. Looking back to excerpts from “Heart to Heart Talks” in The Ladies Home Journal, March 1902, we find a sermonette written by our founder, Margaret Bottome, with application for today. May I say to you, dear Daughters,…
We often are told that mind, body, and spirit are connected. But those of us with a hearing loss know that hearing is not just a part of communication, but rather hearing affects our whole body. And our whole body can affect our hearing. Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins Medicine, the National Institute of Health, and…
Staring at a blank page for hours that turned in to days, I struggled with content and getting a newsletter out in a timely fashion. Drifting from one idea to the next, I felt like I was wasting hours of time. On one day when I felt compelled to just get up and walk away…
I recently took my grandchildren to a fast-food chain restaurant. To my surprise, booths with electronic tablets for ordering and table-top gaming replaced the previous inside toddler playground. When I asked the manager about the change, she replied, “We are a franchise. Each restaurant is responsible for its own operation. We wanted to meet the…
Within the last ten days, I’ve attended two funerals where military honors were given. Being retired military, I find the playing of TAPS to be extremely meaningful and comforting. The playing of TAPS also brings back memories of one of the first sermons I ever delivered. My message was titled “God Is Near” and was…
I am definitely not a fan of amusement park rollercoasters. When our children were much younger, I would put on my “brave face” to ride with them. I did not want them to know how terrified I really was. On a trip to Disneyland, the family was in line for particular ride that combined rollercoaster…
Photography reflects who we are, how we are keeping pace, and the times surrounding us. Following the instant, hard copy, Polaroid days, today’s smart phone photography captures the moment digitally. Moreover, the bombardment of digital images taken in that moment can all be stored in the cloud rather than fading in a picture album. Website…
The Health Careers Scholarship deadline for application requests is fast approaching, March 1, 2020. We ask for student information (name, field of study and year in program), so that we can alert those that may not be eligible before they complete the application process. The completed applications are due April 1, 2020. The recipients and…
A Moment in IOKDS History Ladies Home Journal Article Excerpt from Margaret Bottome’s featured column, “Heart to Heart Talks with The King’s Daughters”…January 1891 “Two Windows” “A friend in Berlin last summer told me the following story which helped me so much that I give it to you: “The dingy panes of glass in the…
Since before Christmas, I’ve been trying to get over this “nagging cough”… I can’t seem to get rid of it! It made me miss out on many of my family and friends’ Christmas traditional events, but my cough has also made me want to look closer into 2020. To help battle my cough, I’ve been…
Just like it is important to have an annual physical for your body, it is important for IOKDS members to regularly examine their Circle, Branch, City Unions, Chapters, and the International facets of our organization. Perhaps you have experience in SWOT analysis which involves brainstorming internal strengths and weaknesses along with external threats and opportunities.…
We count money…we count birthdays…we count the number of days until Christmas Day…we count lots! What we don’t count enough of, though, are the blessings of kindness touching our lives and the lives of those around us. Yesterday I was reminded. I stopped over to my brother’s camp to return his thermal coffee mug…he brought…