I want to be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a devoted friend, and one who was consistent and genuine in everything that I did. I want to be remembered as someone who made others feel valuable and special, and I want to leave such a positive impact on the lives of the people in my sphere of influence that when they think of me they smile. Most of all, I want to be remembered as someone who helped others see the greatness in themselves and encouraged them to shine brightly without concern about dimming anyone else’s light. Obviously, I would like people to feel and remember me for all those qualities for years after I’ve gone to heaven, but more importantly, that is how I want to be remembered when people encounter me in my everyday, ordinary life.

Question: How do you want to be remembered?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’

When I think of the happiest people I know—myself included—two qualities come to mind. The first is an understanding of the difference between happiness and contentment and the second is having a lower threshold. I understand happiness as having more to do with external circumstances while contentment is an internal state of the soul. As one stays in a place of contentment, he/she is better able to navigate through changing circumstances without losing joy. As far as having a lower threshold, I simply mean that it just doesn’t take much to make us happy. It may sound childlike, but it is a great place to live!

Question: What are the qualities of the happiest people you know?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’

I think that men and women, young and old, different national and ethnic groups, and rich and poor see things differently because of their circumstances. Some of those differences include women generally being more relational and emotional, younger people being less concerned about the future, different national and ethnic groups harboring prejudices that they may not even be aware of, and the rich being out of touch with the needs of others. It has always been my contention that different is not bad – different is just different; however, it is oftentimes our differences that create a divide between us more than an appreciation for others. Consequently, we can end up with women being angry that men aren’t more communicative, older people feeling as though the youth are reckless, national and ethnic groups acting superior or feeling marginalized, and the rich feeling entitled while the not-so-rich live beyond their means.

Question: What are some of the ways you see people being different? How do (or could) those differences manifest themselves?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’

If I could live any five years over again it would be the ages of 44 to 49. Those were my son’s first five years of life, and I would have been more intentional about developing his mind in his formative years. He is a wonderful young man, but I always feel as though I could have done a better job of stimulating his mind and preparing him for his school years. I would have also been more aggressive financially in preparing for his college education and my retirement.

Question: If you could live any five years over again, which would it be and why? What would you do differently?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’

Early in life, I disappointed myself when I dropped out of high school. Even though I immediately earned my G.E.D., I felt that I missed out on the opportunity to continue my education at an age and stage of life when it would have been easier to finish college. What I learned from that experience is how important it is not to make hasty decisions, especially when those decisions are designed to spite others. Later in life, one of my greatest disappointments was the circumstances surrounding a family that left our church. It was very painful to have walked so closely with people with whom we had shared so much, only to have them be vicious and bitter in their departure. While the relationship is cordial and we have fully forgiven them, things are not the same and what I have learned is that people aren’t always completely forthright about their feelings nor are they always looking for resolution to problems. In such cases, all we can do is walk in love and be honest with ourselves.

 Question: What have been some of your disappointments? What have you learned from them?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’