The Storyteller | Mary Vee

PHOTO CREDIT: en.wikipedia.org They said it couldn't be done.  Who "they" are is undefined, but it wasn't the scientists at NASA. NASA has taken on a Never Give Up attitude since its beginning. You know their successes and failures. The agency has lived through great criticism and threats to defund. Thankfully Thomas Edison didn't have to deal with the same worldwide critical audience or we might not have light bulbs!  Well, actually I think we would. Someone else would have invented the mechanism between 1879 and today. Most likely the Brits whose research resulted in the arc lamp would have designed a commercial lightbulb or another group of scientists. I'm glad Edison's success gave an avenue to his quotes: "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." So, NASA can boast a succe...

Friends - Photo by Mary Vee Island of Bolero, Venice, Italy Thanksgiving week blessings. Hubby walks out to his car dressed for work and lunch in hand. He happens to look down at the front tire, something I wouldn't do, and walks back to the house. The tire is flat. This morning, he fills the tire with air and nurses it up to the tire store. Across the street is one of those hometown restaurants with basic food, servers with pads of paper and pencils, and unlimited gut rot coffee. "So, yah wanna get breakfast?" He asks me. How could I refuse? Two hours later the car disappears into the shop. Although Hubby devoured southern style biscuits and gravy et all the trimmings, he is nervous he won't have the car in time to leave for work. We walk across the road, yes we paid the bill plus tip, and walk inside the tire store. Before hubby can ask, the tire guy grabs keys off his counter walks them to my hubby and says, "Everything is taken care of."...

Photo by Mary Vee Bakery in Germany Amazing, but true.  John Chhan opened his shop in California at 4:30 a.m. then had to close the doors at 8:30 a.m. because of the community. What had the community done? The story started when a woman brought her daughter into Chhan's bakery. His wife had been there all the years the woman stopped in the shop in the past, but she wasn't that day. The woman discovered John's wife had an aneurysm and was home recovering from surgery. After the woman returned home, she thought about Mrs. Chhan. The couple came to the U.S. as refugees from Cambodia many years before and set up this bakery. Every day the couple arrived at the shop at 2 a.m. to make the donuts then opened the doors at 4:30 a.m. to sell the treats. When all the donuts were sold, the workday ended. They closed the doors and went home. The woman told neighbors and wrote a blog post about the Chhan's saying, if everyone went to the bakery early and bought in the...

Photo Courtesy: Pixabay.com A bookstore in Southhampton, England, called October Books, could no longer afford to pay the rent for it's building. No big deal, you might say. Most people buy online anyway. But this is a different and unique, and basically a Never Give Up Story because the community formed a human chain to save this bookstore. October Books is an independent bookstore that also offers organic foods and hosts events for the community. Their interest in the locals impacted the people, stirring men and women, boys and girls to come to their aid.   After having been in their original location for 25 years and facing rising rent, the owners knew they had to leave. They searched for another building and found an abandoned bank.  Several problems rose for a timely move down the street. A stockroom filled with books had to be transported. Painting. Setting up the new store. Creative genus struck when the owner called for help from the community.  So,...