On “Morning Joe” today, commenting on Trump’s State of the Union address yesterday, Ed Luce, US National Editor for the Financial Times, said, “There were so many lies that at one point I thought should we fact-check whether, you know, the men’s hockey team really did win a gold because it was just sort of a flood the zone with it.”
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/25/one-liner-wednesday-plans/
I grew up with the motto, Be Prepared.
This was very useful because we lived in a rural setting with no houses nearby so you couldn’t go to the neighbors’ house to borrow a needed tool or recipe ingredient. The grocery store was 20 miles away so it wasn’t easy to pick up bread or milk or whatever you might have run out of, so we kept a well-stocked pantry and freezer.
Even though I live in a neighborhood now – and have for years – I still tended to keep extra supplies on hand, in order to be prepared for a change in plans or an unexpected circumstances.
Still, though, despite preparations, there are some things for which we are never quite prepared.
Recently, I’ve had some instances of re-visiting my poetry chapbook, Hearts. The poems center on my mother, especially her final years when she was living with heart failure. We knew that she was slowly dying and tried to prepare but, when the time came, it was still somewhat of a shock. I know from discussions I’ve had with others that our preparations for loss are seldom adequate.
For me, there is, though, a certain comfort in trying to prepare, even when my preparations aren’t sufficient.
I’ll keep trying…
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Concsiousness Saturday this week is to base your post on a word the starts with “pre.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-21-2026/
For One-Liner Wednesday this week, I’m following up on my Stream of Consciousness Saturday post which mentioned the Valentine’s Day dinner B prepared for daughter T and me.
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Today is observed as Presidents’ Day in the United States.
I am old enough to remember the days before the Monday Holiday Bill, which moved a lot of federal holiday dates to create long weekends.
At that time, February held the observance of two of our greatest presidents, George Washington on the 22nd and Abraham Lincoln on the 12th. These were combined to create Presidents’ Day, celebrated on the third Monday in February.
Therefore, Presidents’ Day is not intended to celebrate all the US presidents but, specifically, Washington and Lincoln.
May people reflect on the character and accomplishments of these two great presidents and use that reflection to inform their choices for public servants in the present and future.
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “love.” I’m assuming she chose that prompt for today because it is Valentine’s Day and love is in the air.
B is making individual beef wellingtons for dinner with tiramisu for dessert, leaving the cocoa sprinkled on top off my portion because I can’t have it. (Update: photos here https://joannecorey.com/2026/02/18/one-liner-wednesday-valentines-food/)
Meanwhile, I will be spending the day resting after yet another medical test and a physical therapy session yesterday. If I’m lucky, I’ll manage to make vigil mass this afternoon. I’m hoping that a down day today will make if possible to get through a two and a half hour Madrigal Choir rehearsal tomorrow.
In short, I’m not doing anything special for B this Valentine’s Day.
And he is perfectly okay with that.
B and I met and became friends when I was in my first year in high school and he in his second. By the wonders of our history teacher, Miss Stewart, who seated us in alphabetical order, we were near each other. Within a couple of years, we were high school sweethearts. We married a few weeks after I graduated from college and will celebrate our 44th anniversary this spring.
Our love for each other is an integral part of who we are and who we became, given that we have been growing together since our early teens.
B doesn’t need me to have a special Valentine’s Day gift for him to assure him of my love.
He knows my love for him is who I am and I know his love for me is who he is.
I will, of course, enjoy the special dinner he is making.
And the lemon blueberry scones currently in the oven for breakfast.
But I live B’s love every day and that is the real Valentine’s Day gift that is with us for life.
I hope that love finds each of you today in whatever form it may take for you.
“…it’s actually cheaper to build a new solar farm in India than to simply keep buying the coal for an existing coal-fired power plant.”
~~~ Bill McKibben, sharing the good news that India is turning decisively toward renewable electricity over fossil fuels
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/11/one-liner-wednesday-laughter/
I often think of my life in chapters.
They aren’t sequential or in blocks of time, though.
It’s more that they are organized topically.
For example, in my volunteer life, there are chapters around church, social justice advocacy, environmental causes, and school curriculum and committees when I was a parent.
In music, there is the church music and organ chapter, composition, and choral music, starting in high school, then Smith College both as a student and alum, decades with University Chorus at SUNY-Binghamton, and now with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton.
In my personal life, the chapters are very long. Some as a daughter, granddaughter, and sister are life-long. Even though my parents and grandparents have all passed away, being a daughter and granddaughter is forever, as is being a sister.
Another long chapter which is ongoing is with my spouse B, who I met early in high school. We will celebrate our 44th anniversary later this year. I think that part of the reason we are who we are at this point is that we were able to grow and change together over all this time.
And then, there is my writing life, with chapters for school, what I think of as utilitarian writing like doing commentary, blogging, and poetry.
Two chapters that remain close to my heart are as a mom and, for the last 8 and a half years, a grandmother. Those chapters are the most forward-looking. I don’t think of my daughters’ and granddaughters’ stories as sequels to mine because they are their own authors but I am honored to be a chapter in their own books of life.
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “chapter.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/06/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-7-2026/
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
~~~John Adams, second president of the United States
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/04/one-liner-wednesday-i-hates-the-bots/
Those of us who attend Christian churches that follow the common lectionary are hearing 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and Matthew 5:1-12a (the Beatitudes) this Sunday.
These passages struck me differently this year because of what we are seeing in Minnesota and across the country where people are standing up to the powerful for the sake of justice and mercy.
In I Corinithians, we hear “God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong.”
In Matthew, we hear:
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.”
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
I know it will be a long haul and take a lot of work and witness, but these passages give me hope that the millions of us – of all faith traditions or none at all – who are not powerful individually will be able to re-establish a society that respects human dignity and rights for all the people.
I don’t have enough brain to manage Stream of Consciousness Saturday this time, but I will do a final Just Jot It January post.
I’m relieved to have made it through the month posting every day. I wish I could say that I will continue to do so but I know that I can’t manage it. I’ve also got a bunch more medical tests and appointments coming up in February, for which I’m grateful, but they also take time and energy.
Sending thanks to Linda for convening Just Jot It January once again and to the blogging community participants who have contributed prompts and posts to the effort. I’m honored to be in your (virtual) company.
And, as always, thanks to all of you who took time to visit Top of JC’s Mind. Leisure time and attention are in short supply for many of us and I appreciate your including me in your day or evening.
(Even though, it’s the final day, you can still join in the fun of Just Jot It January. Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/30/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2026-daily-prompt-for-jan-31st/.)
Joanne Corey 