Two Weeks with my Daughter

Our daughter Kim was born in Minnesota.  She loves that state and is crazy for her relatives. She had just returned from a one-year-stay in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar. While in Germany, she discovered her roots and fell in love with the country of her ancestors. Together with her husband, they decided to stay another year.  None-the-less, she returned to a home visit. 

One night at the end of July she returned for her vacation, my husband and I picked her up from the airport. From that very moment our family was again engaged in a whirlwind of excitement, talking, singing and a lot of laughter. She was telling us about all the differences between Americans and Germans.  Her report: "Americans are loud and outspoken, while Germans are more reserved, except for the World cup."

We spent two wonderful weeks together. Both she and I are coffee lovers. We discovered Caribou’s coffee and the many positive quotes they put on their coffee cups.

Positive words on a Caribou coffee cup:

life is short, stay awake for it

sleep under the stars

dream big, act bigger

take a seven day weekend

sip it, sip it good

max out your passport

stir emotions

hold hands, not grudges

run your feet, not your mouth

follow your heart

make today special

sing out loud

you are as wonderful as your dog thinks you are

smile first, asks questions later

As we were traveling, Kim took out her camera every time she saw a meaningful quote,

It didn’t matter where she saw it: at some relative’s house, in an antique store, at a rummage sale, at a gift store or in somebody’s window. It became quite a game. Along with hunting for positive quotes she also recorded her grandpa’s jokes and funny sayings. We discovered again his Minnesotan wit and humor which she never missed a beat to respond to. It was quite entertaining since neither one of them wanted to give up the last word, but most of the time she graciously surrendered to her grandpa.

Here are a few positive quotes:

If you begin the day with love in your heart, peace in your nerves, and truth in your mind, you not only benefit by their presence but also bring them to others, to your family and friends, and to all those whose destiny draws across your path that day.
~ Author : Unknown

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.
~ Buddha

Three small rules for a happy life:
1. Start each day with a grateful heart.
2. Focus on the positive aspects of every person you encounter.
3. End each day with a grateful heart.
~ Lucy MacDonald

It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined.
~ Henry James

Confidence on the outside begins by living with integrity on the inside.
~ Brian Tracy

If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.
~ David Viscott

It is not what we get. But who we become, what we contribute… that gives meaning to our lives.
~ Anthony Robbins

We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.
~ Mary Dunbar

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

A person who sows seed of kindness enjoys a perpetual harvest.

~ Anonymous

Well, that's it for the quotes. The inspiration behind lays mainly with the energy and the presence our daughter brought back into our lives. She is gone now again, visiting with others whom she is going to entertain with her happy spirit and positive sayings. Our memories together will have to sustain us again for another year. In the meantime, I am happy to have had the two weeks with our daughter Kim.