The dome is sitting there exposed as the walls of Southwyck Mall are being dismanteled. For any South Toledo resident Southwyck was once a beacon of fun. The place to go for "whateve" you needed or just the destination for just for a few hours of diversion.

When we drove by its dying facade last night I thought how it once figured so significantly in our lives. Living right behind it for a couple years when the kids were babes, it offered escape from long winter days. I'd hop through the backyard and run through the parking lot to stroll the kids around, grab an Orange Julius and dream of days when I'd could buy this or that.

Its decline has been sad to watch. It seems to have been an unnecessary death. Some of the woes that befell Southwyck could have been prevented. Some could have been altered. But as its name is added to the list of "remember whens," I have to bid the old place good bye. The joy of buying special dresses for the girls, so many home items at The Lion Store, and toys, Christmas presents, last-minute presents...candy and lunch...these memories last.

Nothing in life compares with the joy of being a mother. Although it's a job with no salary and a round-the-clock workload, the benefits pay off for a lifetime.

Rocking a newborn in the early evening twilight is a time of tranquility no spa can duplicate. Watching him go off to school is anguish that tears the heartstrings. Seeing her in cap in gown dramatically stops the clock. Having her glide down the church aisle is a moment of bliss. Getting handed a grandchild...now that's a blessing.

Although the stresses of child-rearing don't seem to go away as the kids grow up, the beauty of having a piece of the future through the young ones who are sent to us is unequaled.

For those young Moms out there who wonder if they'll ever have a moment to themselves..here's the truth. The days last forever and the years fly by. Enjoy.

Hosting a baby shower always offers a moment to to appreciate the value of new life. Nothing else compares to the wonder of welcoming a new person into this wonderful world. Yes, wonderful-- don't scoff.

We are so burdened with bad news by those who bring us the daily information that sometimes it's daunting to remember just how wonderful life is. The little things, the stuff we take for granted like the birds chirping outside my door at this moment. The friend who calls. The neighbor chat out on the lawn after this long winter. Ahh, an 80-degree April day. Such a blessing.

And a new baby...a new baby for a bright young man who knew what it was to be troubled as a teen. Those days are gone for him as maturity has come. So I take a second to say this is a lovely time. May you find the beauty of the day as well.

If you have some "best ways" to enjoy NW Ohio send them to editor@buzzbookonline.com and if we publish your thooughts we'll send you $10 to use at Nagoya.

Keep on buzzin.

New research confirms that friends see us through many rough patches in life. Findings prove that bonds of friendship not only add to the quality of life, they help extend it. Lonely people contract and don't fight off illness as well as those who are supported by friends.

So we're looking for some info on best friends. Have a story to tell? Send us 30-40 words about your freinds and you can get a $10 gift certificate to one of the Buzz Book restaurants in this issue: Nagoya, Lascola, or The Cafe at the Oliver House. Yum!

My best friends are delightful, loyal, true blue and always listen to my whining. If I say, "Let's go out," they say, "when?" If I say pray for me, they do. Can't beat such dear ones.

How about you?

The book of Proverbs says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Guard your heart. Funny isn't it that we're advised to guard what just we love, what we hold dear, what we cling to?

Makes me think the ancient writer understood well how easily we get attched to things that don't matter or even worse, can be bad for us. So we guard just where our affections go. This is a great time of year to remember to connect ourselves to what is beautiful, what is valuable, what has lasting merit. The awakening landscape, the little shoots of green poping up in the garden are great reminders that even when things look bleak there is life unfolding...new promise just under the surface.

Today as you go your way look for some of the "stuff" of promise all around you. Even if things appear gray, there is sunlight just under that cloud.
Guard your heart, but also keep it open to the possibilities.

Happy Buzzing.

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