Storied Gifts

#4 Connections That Last SG February podcast

Each and every day we communicate with people and leave impressions that linger. Whether we view the interactions as trivial or invest in them with great intention, we connect on some level all the time.Since the month of February is associated with encounters of romance and affection, the focus of this SG podcast is on stories of "how we met."

First my friend Belinda recalls how she and her husband Duane moved from mutual admiration of one another to become a couple who married with eyes wide open.

David and I share the goofy, youthful, star-struck infatuation that started our courtship and resulted in 25 years of marriage to date.

Finally Belinda relates how the courtesy a gentleman one hectic airplane trip has remained with her years later. (the podcast is about 12 minutes in duration)

music by Scott Davis

The photo is of David and I on our wedding day in July 1984 

#3 Stories of Resolutions, kept, lost, planned

I'm sort of "finding my podcast legs" with the SG podcast but thankfully it is all okay. In this first segment of 2009, I asked people for stories of New Year's Resolutions past and present. First I relate my successful attempt at athleticism, next Zane Safrit shares his current resolutions and his strategy for keeping them, finally my friend Marsha Hines explains how to find the grace of enlightenment no matter what life presents. (21 minutes) music by Scott Davis 

photo by karen withak, powered byflickr

Share your story New Year's Resolutions

All things explained in audio which means I'm not writing thank goodness! Thanks for listening.

#2 In the Beginning

Storied Gifts Podcast #2 In the Beginning - Rick to Captain Renault in Casablanca, "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Think about your friends and how you met. Do you remember? Why do we choose the people we do to keep as part of our "inner circle?"

In today's SG podcast we explore two stories of relationships just as they are forming. One journey involves a pair who start as friends that meet from a distance through the internet and discover affection, love, and then marriage.

The other story is about a group of people that met during college and have managed to stay connected for many years. They've made it a mission to make the annual trek to their their college town and remember old times together.

STORY ONE:  Simply Fate:  Two people, one in the Midwest and the other on the East coast who were never likely to meet. What were the chances they would find each other on their computers one day at the right time in the same random chat room? From their first interactions they realized that they had a special connection. This is the tale of how the ingredients of technology and serendipity worked to bring together a couple. Now five years later, they realize that the universe opened up to help them form the perfect match.

STORY TWO:  Annual Ritual is Born:  Sporting names like Sky, T, Stormin, Gonz, Hersh, Jimmy, Fitz, and Harpo, a group of college friends that shared youthful times at school during the 70s and 80s have kept the friendship going. As their lives have progressed, they still make the one-a-year pilgrimage to the Midwest to visit old haunts and enjoy a few days together. Over time the group has grown to include some spouses and siblings but the core group always manages to gather each spring.

It's another warm night almost 30 years later and these friends are sitting around a backyard campfire drinking beers and laugh together. They drink a toast to memories, the stuff of legend, and recall how it all began.

Music:  Odyssey Trio Sandra Moore Wacha, Kristin Maahs, tom Hudson. Piece:  Brian Boru's March for the flute and harp.

photo by Mikko Miettinen, powered by flickr

#1 The Dog Days of Family

The first storied gifts podcast done "under the radar" just to get our feet wet. A fifteen minute segment in four parts, Pet Purgatory, Dog Shame, All Aboard?, Dogxymoron.

photo by carquestguy, powered by flickr