I Miss Oprah

Oprah Winfrey made me a better person. I cannot imagine who I would be or where I would be if there had never been an Oprah.  She taught me how to accept myself and the people in my life. I learned to see things from the other person's point of view and how to be truly grateful... She made me want to do better...

An AH-HA moment during an Oprah Show saved my marriage. It was such a simple thought...and here it is. Everybody shows love in different ways.

DUH!!

The challenge is to make sure your spouse understands how YOU show love...and vice versa. I show love in the usual way -- I COOK. I know what John's favorite foods are, how he likes his steak and his eggs...and I learned his mother's recipes for potato salad, halupkes, meatballs, etc. Also -- I hang our bedding out on the line to dry...and in my honest opinion -- getting into a bed freshly made with line-dried 100% cotton sheets is the best love hug anybody could ever get.  But I had to EXPLAIN that to him.

Thanks to Oprah, I realized John would never be the guy who buys me diamond rings or brings me flowers. He isn't going to write me a love poem and he doesn't enjoy theater or travel...but he shows his love by FIXING THINGS...

John can fix ANYTHING. When I was complained about our dining room chandelier, he bought a new one and hung it while I was out. 

Because of my Oprah moment --  I started to say thank you when John changed the lightbulbs or repaired the air conditioner. Last month, our Kenmore dishwasher (which I love) stopped working.  John spent hours...then days...working on it.  He took it completely apart, checked the electrical, then the plumbing, then the blades for the cutters...OH MY GOD.

It was an ordeal.  On the first day, I held the flashlight so he could see down under...but after a very long two hours (okay -- I lasted maybe 20 minutes)...I was ready to give up and buy a new dishwasher.

But John is like a dog with a bone.  He NEVER gives up...and this breakdown was such a puzzler, he started watching videos on YouTube -- of repairmen taking dishwashers apart -- then putting them back together.  He figured out that our problem was probably a very cheap "made in China" switch...but the issue was finding a place where he could ORDER THE PART...??

Ross said, "Dad -- why don't you call Sears?"

John said, "I tried that, son.  They want to send out a repairman..."

Ross, "Which is how you get your life back, Dad.  So -- tell me again -- why don't you call Sears?"