It gives me encouragement and joy when I take the time over lunch to open a book by someone who I know.

Mr. Postman delivered to me Rachelle McCalla’s book “Danger on Her Doorstep. I grabbed my sandwich, opened my juice and decided to take a sneak peek. Rachelle’s other books held me captive. I couldn’t put them down.

I was just going to take a peak, read a page and put it away for another time. I couldn’t do it. I started reading and the time started slipping away.

Usually on my noon hour I choke down my lunch, pay some bills and rush back to work. This noon hour I got enthralled in  the life of Maggie Arnold. I will tell you no more. It would spoil your reading fun.

I almost forgot to head back to work. I wanted to keep reading. The book is outstanding and I am inspired that someone I know has such talent.

I started thinking about the reason I write. Am I writing for me? Am I writing to reach out to others? Am I writing for approval of my writing style? Probably all three. Most of all I write because I love to write. Writing is breathing. it doesn’t matter if I am good at it. All that matters is that I release the words deep inside of myself.

I used to keep a diary of my private thoughts but nothing seems private anymore since the advent of blogging. Do we show the world who we are when we write and it is splashed out there for all the world to see? My diary was private. I told my diary things I would tell no other living soul. Although I imagine if my diary exists and someone finds it when I depart this world someone will know. Will I want that diary to be a remembrance of me?

I suspect that the writers that write for the love of writing are saving their soul. I am. But does anyone really know who we are even if it seems we let it all hang out in our words on the pages that we present to the world? Are we who we portray ourselves to be? Or are we like the characters in a book, full of mystery but pretending to let the world know us? Do we know ourselves?

I made it to work and back home again. I am going to put the real world aside and nestle into Danger On Her Doorstep and stand in awe at the gem of creativity glowing inside an author that is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.

What is lurking inside each one of us waiting to be released to the world? Would someone guess by looking at you what you are about or would  the life you are living on the outside hide the surprises that are on the inside? Keep surprising us!

Quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Everybody keeps telling me how surprised they are with what I’ve done. But I’m telling you honestly that it doesn’t surprise me. I knew I could do it.”

Yesterday someone was wishing that there were shoes that were reasonably priced that were made in the United States. I decided to check out Americansworking.com. I was amazed. There are quite a few places that make shoes in the United States.

I knew the Red Wing Shoe Company makes many of their boots in Red Wing, Minnesota.  As a child I toured the plant with my parents as they owned a shoe store and bought their inventory from the Red Wing Shoe Company. Red Wing makes work boots and heritage boots.

My parents owned a shoe store for 30 years. Most of their inventory came from the United States. They owned their shoe store at a time when factories thrived in this country.

I took a little time to browse through the shoes listed on americansworking.com. I found the shoes that were made in America to be ones that I would buy. Their prices ranged from middle of the road $39.00 to more expensive. Perhaps there are $10.00 made in America shoes out there somewhere.  Not all companies are listed so a Google search might bring you some more answers.

Although this blog is not necessarily about made in the Usa. I will provide links from time to time as I am made aware of them to help us in our search to make a committment to America.

Recently a factory in my state decided to lay off employees. These are permanent layoffs. This company recently built a plant in Thailand and are outsourcing many of their jobs to that country. I felt sad and helpless. I know so many people who are out of work. Many of these people used to have good paying jobs in factories in our country, but these jobs no longer exist because of companies moving these jobs overseas.

I am not an economist but I am a consumer. I am a consumer that hasn’t given much thought to where the products that I buy are made. I believe in Fair Trade and have bought many Fair Trade products. But with another plant closing I started investigating the items in my home.

My Crockpot is made in China. My curling iron is made in China. My telephone is made in China. My stainless steel scissors are made in China. My bathrobes are made in China. My purses are made in China.  My Tickle Me Elmo from Mattel is made in China. My humidifier was made in the USA.

Without a doubt it is hard to find some of these products being made anymore in the United States. I also have not taken the time to look at labels and investigate the option of buying American Made.

Recently I read a blog and it is challenging all of us to be an aware consumer and buy products made in America. You can read this blog at http://buyamericanchallenge.wordpress.com.  I visited Amerianworking.com and found products that are made in America.

Let’s join together as Americans and make a commitment to our American workers. I have a lot of wacky dreams and maybe this is one of them. But I believe in the American people and I believe if we stick together and support our workers we can effect a change. Take the challenge. Challenge your friends and neighbors to do the same. And don’t give up. If it doesn’t work in a year, keep it going for two, three, four or however long it takes to be proud of Made in America. We’ll check back periodically to see how we are doing.

Aha! My Silk Soymilk is made in the United States!