A couple days ago I read a column written by Betty Liedtke in the local Lakeshore Weekly News. While it isn't directly related to genealogy, her article helps us comprehend and appreciate the value of time. This column (also published on her blog) was entitled "Ordinary days can turn into special occasions," and it started with a story about preparing a special family recipe on a weekday evening. Liedtke continues: The whole experience made think of stories I see occasionally about widowers cleaning out closets and dresser drawers after their wives passed away, and finding gifts of jewelry, scarves, and fancy nightgowns still in their original boxes - never worn because they were "too good" for everyday use. And I thought about the late, great Erma Bombeck, whose reflection "If I Had My Life to Live Over" included the fact that she "would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage," and "would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime." It's wonderful to have practices and possessions that we use on special occasions. But we shouldn't limit them to special occasions only. We should use them and enjoy them whenever we can. When we do, we may even find ourselves creating special occasions out of ordinary days and experiences. And that's something worth celebrating. Great advice! Not unlike "Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero," which is translated "seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future." After all, who knows what tomorrow will bring? Liedtke's Oct 2 blog posting can be read in its entirety at: http://findyourburiedtreasure.com/columns/ordinary-days-can-turn-into-special-occasions. She writes a weekly column in the Chanhassen (MN) Villager, and her blog archive includes postings back to June 2013. In a message giving me permission to publish part of her article, Liedtke told me she's in the process of putting together a collection of columns in a book with working title "Find Your Buried Treasure -- Nuggets of Inspiration from Everyday Life." It will include 30 of the columns she's written over the past 15 years, each with a different "nugget" as well as a suggested activity for the reader to pursue his or her own nugget. Publishing anticipated in 2016. And as for tomorrow, I will be in South Dakota for pheasant-hunting opener, celebrating a family tradition.