By Susan Biddle, Because I Asked-
Three Days Ago-
Recently, I realized that I have been influenced by two pieces of jewelry but hadn’t really thought about any other THING with that kind of positive influence on me…That is, not until three days ago when I was sitting in the lounge area of a casino. While my husband contentedly played a quarter slot machine next door in the actual casino, I was sipping on a diet soda and reading a mystery book for my next book club meeting. It was a good book, and I was absorbed in it, until a woman about my age walked by and said, “You are so smart bringing a book to read at the casino.” She continued, “My husband likes to gamble and we came with friends who would probably enjoy staying until midnight! I wish I had thought to bring something to read. Do you know how lucky you are?”
We talked a bit longer about the books we were reading, and I suggested that she might find a good book in the casino bookshop and wished her well. Then she disappeared into the noise of the casino, and I returned to my reading. But her question stayed with me. Did I know just how lucky I am? Yes, I have a good husband, loving children, kind friends who understand me, not to mention a mood-altering ring, and a pretty bracelet to clear my mind when needed (see below).
And now I can see that the books I read all the time are good for me in ways that may not yet be known even to me. How lucky is that?
And it just happened Three Days ago!
When I began writing this, or perhaps even thinking about writing this story, it actually was three days from when I had this experience, and the title seemed totally logical. But since that moment, I have slowly realized that several other timeframes might work just as well for the title.
Hopefully, you—the reader—will understand the switches in time and location.
About a year ago, my children and number of other relatives and friends pulled together to throw a perfectly fun-filled, work-intensive 79th birthday party for me in Fort Collins, Colorado, where my middle daughter lives. My husband and I (and a number of the other attendees) traveled from across the country to gather in late August for a Woodstock-themed party with food, decorations, costumes, and music.
Why, you might ask, Woodstock? As an 8th grade English teacher, I was asked by a student if I had gone to the original Woodstock. My answer was no, I was the right age, but at the time was raising a young family so the timing wasn’t right. My daughter Sara, thinking that it was time to help get me there, both planned and hosted the event. So late August of 2024 was a very special time for me.
The fall that followed was somewhat less fun. It was then that my daughters and I and, to some degree, my husband, struggled through the almost universal conflict called “taking the car keys away from mom or dad or aunt so-and-so.” Probably the latter is the prerogative of your lucky cousin. At any rate, all went through the tortures of the damned until an Agreement of sorts was reached. I could only drive in our small town and only when my husband was in the car. Others who have gone through this experience know how isolated and childlike I felt.
Fortunately, my good friend Bonnie in whom I confided about what was going on, made things better. One Sunday at church, she handed me a box with a silver bracelet with the Serenity Prayer printed on it: “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage the change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
I have not taken the bracelet off since I put it on and have tried, not always successfully, to follow this wise advice!
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