By Ann Petersen, SBA Columnist | 04/16/26
(SBA) - This has certainly been an interesting early spring! One day, it feels like snow and the next day, we want to break out our shorts and T-shirts. I suppose that is the challenge of living in Iowa. I have had several interesting encounters in the past few weeks and one of the first was a phone call from my best friend in college who lives in North Carolina who called one morning to say, “I don’t have time to talk, but you have to go on Amazon as soon as we get off the phone and order THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi. I did as she said.
When the book arrived, it took me several days to really engage with the book, and I put it down more than once wondering why my friend Betsy was so insistent that I order the book. The premise is that a man named “Theo”-=-no surname provided—moves into the small town of Golden, Georgia where he asks plenty of questions, but provides little information about himself. Soon, Theo becomes interested in the ninety-two pencil portraits that hang on the walls of a local coffee shop. As Theo studies the portraits, he decides that he would like to purchase each of the drawings and give them as gifts to the people pictured in the portraits. As he does so, Theo begins to learn a great deal about the lives of the individuals captured in the portraits. I have yet to finish the book, but I love the stories tied to each of the drawings and I wish that I were still teaching so that I could ask my students to react to each of the individuals that Theo meets.
Another book that I am reading currently is JOY ANYWAY by Kate Bowler. I was drawn to order the book when the author, a Duke professor who has had more than her share of sadness, appeared recently on THE TODAY SHOW. I tend to wallow in grief, missing Dale every moment of every day, but sometimes small sparks of joy peek through and I forget my sorrow. The author writes “joy is a glimmer of love and forgiveness and wholeness that lifts us out of reality for a moment and gives us back to ourselves, anew….Joy isn’t something you can manufacture; it finds us at the edge of expectation, where life interrupts our scripts.” So, I’ve started looking for joy. One moment of joy came when Amazon delivered a crochet flower in a pot with a note to “Grandma.” My daughter thought that I needed a little positivity and so she sent this cute little creature to me. Now it sits on my bedside table and makes me smile several times a day.
One moment of joy last week was when I joined the Red Hat ladies at the Sergeant Bluff Museum for a movie, replete with different flavors of popcorn and root beer floats. The movie was “Mrs. Doubtfire” and each of us in the viewing audience was reminded once again of how truly talented Robin Williams was! The joy of that afternoon was viewing the ladies who go all-out to dress in hats and clothing in shades of purple and red, outfits that under other circumstances might appear ridiculous, but for these occasions are just right! I am always reminded that I need to add accoutrements to my own wardrobe so that I can compete with these beautiful women!
A second moment of joy was last Saturday when I attended the “Garden Party” at the Harvest (used to be Elevate) Church. One Saturday each spring, ladies of all ages from two to ninety gather for a luncheon, activities, music and devotions at the church. The men of the church prepare the luncheon which includes various salads, tea sandwiches, a variety of fruits and a plethora of desserts including handmade pizzelles, brownies and chocolate dipped strawberries. It is so fun to see the ladies dressed in their finery, interacting with those whom they know and those whom they did not meet until that day. No one could leave that elegant garden party without joy in their hearts.
I’ve told you before that I volunteer at Lawton Bronson in first grade one morning a week. When I go, I always stop by my grandson Hudson’s transitional kindergarten class to give him a book (which guarantees that I will receive a hug in return!) Hudson’s teacher always reads the book to the class and then Hudson takes the book home to add to his collection. I spend quite a bit of time researching books that would be appropriate to children of preschool age. This week, I ordered two books, ATTACK OF THE UNDERWEAR DRAGON and RETURN OF THE UNDERWEAR DRAGON, both written by Scott Rothman and illustrated by Pete Oswald. A boy named Cole wants to be an assistant knight of the Round Table. When the dreaded Underwear Dragon destroys the kingdom, Cole writes a letter to the dragon chastising him for destroying the kingdom and he offers to help the dragon clean up his mess. Unfortunately, the dragon cannot read, and he comes to challenge Cole. Cole defeats the dragon by tearing off the dragon’s underwear, much to the dragon’s shame. There is joy in the book because children love the idea of a dragon losing his tigthtey whityes and joy for this grandmother for finding a book that I know my grandson will enjoy.
I hope this week that you look for your own sparks of joy, wherever you are!
