The Storyteller | Mary Vee

What happens when twelve family members, most between the ages of 16 and 24 are accused of being hooligans in an airport? It started...many years ago... Scroll down to read chapter one, where the hijinks began. CHAPTER 2 Photo by Mary Vee The following moments in the airport must have been the inspiration for the opening of Home Alone. The family collage contained a myriad of ages from five months to twenty-four years plus an overwhelmed patriarch and a matriarch who knew to stay out of his way at this moment.  Although the packing limit allowed each person to take one suitcase, the chaotic moment resembled a failed football scrimmage after the whistle blew. The whys and wheres had not been explained, or maybe they had been, but the thrill blocked the tribe’s ears, especially since all, except two, had never flown on a plane, much less visited a foreign country. The patriarch was affectionately called Dud, even when he was in a frantic, sour mood.   His s...

Happy New Year This year starts with a tale, one that may last the year, I'm not sure. But I think you will really enjoy it. AND if you do, please invite others to read this story as well. Where Good Memories Are Kept It started once upon a time. Dud began his story this way because at times you, reader, might find portions of this tale highly impossible. But in full disclosure, this 1970's story was proven true. Not in a history book or even in a diary. The words had been hidden in the secret place where good memories are kept to cherish. Two months had passed since Jane and her husband said their wedding vows. They had the typical basic apartment furniture, a dining room table, recycled chairs, a hand-me-down sofa, and a bedroom set. The kitchen cupboard contained the usual minimal married-couple-in-college ingredients. On this crisp October day, they longed for a delicious big meal, no dessert required.  This was not the first time they'd popped in at ...

Photo by Mary Vee Probably my favorite of the year. No, I didn't forget you.  I kinda hoped you would be busy with family, new Christmas gifts, cookies, etc. I hope you are. Let's meet again next week...are you thinking about your resolution for this year? I am. Will I keep it? Probably not...but I most likely will for the first few weeks...or at least days.

Scam artists are getting better at their craft. Photo by Mary Vee- A real phone booth - Luzern, Switzerland My heart breaks when I read about a person conned by these people, especially the elderly. I know several personally.  It is so easy to say, "How can they be duped? Don't they know..." The answer is, scam artists are very good at deception. For every word we say to them, they have a prepared script to keep us on the phone. The longer we are on the phone, the better their chances are to reel us in. Like a fisherman dangling bait for fish.  I asked a friend who knows how to deal with these situations, "How can you know for sure if the vendor whom you've dealt with for years is really the one calling or writing an email or sending a snail mail letter?" He said, "The bottom line is you can't. Hang up. Never say the word "yes" or the word "no" to the caller. They can record your response and use it to say you ...

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...

Hubby and I had the annual Christmas talk. The one that starts:  "So, honey, what do you want for Christmas?" And  continues  with, this response: "I don't know." And so, the games began. Neither one of us wants to confess the dream, number one Christmas gift.  There are several reasons for this.  1. The dream gift is uber expensive. 2. The dreamer doesn't trust the purchaser to find and buy the right one. 3. There isn't enough time to arrange/find/get the dream gift. 4. The dreamer feels guilty about asking for that item. Sigh.  I have no clue what hubby would like for Christmas. From our first Christmas celebrated as a married couple, we've chosen to have a birthday party for Jesus. Knowing that the money to buy the gifts came from God, we honored Him with a celebration rightfully belonging to Him. Hubby and I buy balloons, have a birthday cake, sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, decorate our home with a Christmas ...