Have you ever noticed the busier your life seems to be, the emptier it appears to become? I remember staring at my date book early one Monday morning — scores of meetings, deadlines, projects leered back at me, assailing my senses and demanding my attention. An aging baby-boomer, I had been climbing the proverbial “corporate ladder” for over 25 years. I had worked hard, earned a coveted corner office, wore designer suits, and frequented the “hottest” social clubs in the big city. However, that morning a nagging emptiness continued to permeate my thoughts, and I remember ruminating for the umpteenth time, what does all this really matter?

And lately, with all this introspection, I’ve been remembering my beloved grandmother and the lovely little town in which I had grown up. Gram had a sixth grade education, an abundance of kitchen table wisdom, and a wonderful sense of humour. Everyone who met her thought it was so appropriate that she had been born on April 1 -the day of practical jokes, good laughs, and hearty humour - and she certainly spent her lifetime buoying up everyone’s spirits.

Cerebral she was not, but to a child, Disney World personified. Every activity with Gram became an event, an occasion to celebrate. Looking back, I realize it was a different time, a different sphere. Family, fun and food, though nature also played an important role. Gram had always loved birds. — Beliefnet.com