Would you like to see what I found?

People are good things to have around you. It's hard to realize what life might be like if we couldn't live in a community of people. Now I don't mean like a commune or something, but just neighbors and friends, co-workers and church members, people who belong to the same organizations and those you meet professionally, all of these people make life interesting, worthwhile and fun. But some of my favorite people these days are those who read my stuff.

If I ask a question in one of my Senior Page articles, I will often get a response the same day. This is a bit confusing to me at times because I usually write my articles several days, or maybe even a week, before they are published. We don't get Friday's paper until Saturday noon in the mail, so when someone calls and mentions "your article today" sometimes I can't remember what the article was about, or which article the caller is referring to. It doesn't take me long to put two and two together and I really enjoy these conversations.

Other feedback can come to me while I am shopping and sometimes people I don't know personally will talk to me about one of my articles or columns.

Since my latest book "Whither Thou Goest? You've Got to be Kidding!" was put on the United Methodist Women's Reading List, I have begun to get e mails and letters from various parts of the nation from women who have read the book. Often they have a question about something in it, or are asking permission to use part of it for some purpose in their church.

I was really elated when a minister wrote my publisher for the permission to reprint one of the essays in the book in his church's training manual for the members who would be church visitors.

The idea that some of my chatter would be helpful to those in another church almost made me laugh because I never have taken it that seriously. I will see some of the people I was writing about at a book signing this Saturday. I will tell them that the episode I related in the book about those who called on us more than 50 years ago is being printed in a manual. I think they will enjoy hearing that tidbit.

When I wrote to give them permission the minister wrote back and told about the reaction in his church. This more than compensated for the one a few weeks back who thought I was treating the subject too lightly.

Often when I am facing a deadline and haven't any idea what I should write about, some great persons will call me. The caller wants to tell me about something they found in their attic, a memory they have of a place in our area, or of a hobby or activity that they are involved in. This often generates several different articles or columns.

Usually they will say something like, "I don't know if you'd be interested in this or not but ..." Rest assured, I am interested. I don't think I could have continued these articles and columns for these 12 years without the help of you readers.

So this column is both a thank you for all that you have given me in the past and a plea to not forget me in the future. My generation's wealth of memories will be lessening each year and I think it's important to preserve them. Don't you?