Donna Matthews

Category: Live, Love, Learn

  • 9 Days and Counting…

    I can hardly believe that in 9 days I will turn 50 years old! How could that possibly have happened? It seems like yesterday that I was running around the neighbourhood playing Army with my brothers, or planning the next snowball war with the kids from the next block. (No slush balls or embedded objects allowed). Before we knew it we could hear Mom calling us to come home for dinner. That would mean Dad would be waking up and having supper for his breakfast. Dad worked the Midnight to 0:800 shift so he slept during the day. We always ate together at 5:00 every day no matter what.

    Sunday’s were an exception because we went to my grandparent’s house after mass. We would hang out or play whatever sport the season dictated, baseball in the sumner, football in the winter. Then it was back inside for pasta and meatballs…wow I swear I can still smell my grandma’s sauce. It would have been cooking for a minimum of 8 hours, simmering away. After dinner Grandma would put a plate of cookies on the table, not just for us kids but also for my Grandpa who would not leave the table without eating at least one cookie. There were always 8 or 9 different types of cookies, all homemade of course. I don’t know how she made so many different cookies all with different dough. I know how long it takes me to make one batch of cookies, I can’t imagine doing that. However my mom has kept up the multi-cookie tradition.
    See I told you it seems like it was yesterday, I could go on with stories as that was a glimpse of just a couple days in these 50 years. I’m looking forward to the next 50.

  • Not Your Ordinary Commute

    I have been very lucky when it comes to commuting to work. Before I moved to the UK I was lucky enough to to drive to and from work with views of the Pacific Ocean. I always made sure I never took that commute for granted. Fourteen years later and I still have the privilege to enjoy views that not many Americans can claim. This morning, for example, I arrived in Paddington Station, got in the taxi and within five minutes I was skirting the edges of Hyde Park, next came the Wellington Arch, quickly followed by Green Park on the left and Buckingham Palace on the right and the expanse of The Mall in front of me. Another 3 minutes and we pass Horse Guards Parade on the left heading straight ahead to cross Bridge Street passing Westminster Palace on the right. On the left as we cross the bridge The London Eye was reaching up into the sky as we near my destination at Waterloo Station. Wow, was that a commute or a grand tour of one of the most incredible cities in the world? I told you I was lucky.

  • What an Incredible Summer

    It is just past 6:00 A.M. and I’m on the train heading into London, the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky. Even the most traditional Brits will have a hard time complaining about this summer. We have had fantastic weather and it is true when people say “if the weather was like this every summer no one would go abroad.” The temps are set to rise even more by Friday giving us our hottest day yet of 30C or 86F! We will be hotter here than in Grand Canaria! The only downside to today is the fact that I am working and having to wear a suit. No worries, at this time of year we will have sun until nearly 10:00 so there will be time to still enjoy the evening in our garden.
    This past Sunday I celebrated the 14th anniversary of arriving in the UK and I still love it! I hope the sun is shining for you today.

  • A Day to Forget

    Today was nothing less than a total disaster. It was one of those days that 15 minutes after starting work all you can think about was finishing. If I think about it this day to forget actually started yesterday. I made one of those rookie errors…you know the one, you are in a negative frame of mind and you get an email which you just have to respond to. Well I did and hit “send” before realising I had chosen “Reply All” instead of “Reply”. You can imagine my surprise when this flaming, raging email comes back. Oops! Then came my frantic apology to “All” with a follow up phone call that was sent to voicemail. So my day started with having to face some fall out from yesterday’s debacle and went rapidly downhill from there. Finally my last meeting of the day arrives and it is a meeting where I should not need to think too much, more of a listening encounter for me. I thought “ah this one should be easy”. As soon as the thought entered my head I tried to banish it, I knew it was analogous to walking into an Emergency Communication centre and saying ” wow, it’s quiet in here”.
    The web conference began and this voice from the end of the phone said “shall we start?” Off he went, showing slides that whizzed by at a rate of knots. I couldn’t read more than 3 words and the next slide appeared. He was talking so fast and slides slid by in a blur. After 10 minutes I thought to myself, “if this guy doesn’t take a breath he is going to pass out from oxygen deprivation.” All I can say is that he must free dive in his spare time. This man went non stop for 40 minutes before I had to break in. Not so much because I had a comment or question I just felt it was my duty of care to allow the man to inhale. The meeting mercifully ended (only because the hour was up), I think the gentleman could still be talking otherwise. I took my headset off, laid it on my desk and took a deep breath…I felt as if I had been put through some kind of psychological torture. Can your ears bruise? Mine felt like they were.
    That was it, the day to forget was over. I thought maybe it was my punishment for my error the previous day. Oh, tomorrow has to be better. Oh wait, I have to go to the dentist to have two teeth extracted…maybe not then!

  • On My Way Home

    I am just completing 10 day whirlwind trip to the US and Canada. I fly home tonight at 9:00 and I cannot wait to get on that plane! My trip has not been bad by any means, as a matter of fact, it has been very good. The opportunity to spend the weekend with my incredible friends in Atlanta was time I am so grateful to have had. On the business side it has been good as well even when I was not predicting the Canada leg to be good at all. You are probably wondering why I am so anxious to get on the plane home. Well I guess that is it really…home, getting home, being home. When your partner is as wonderful as mine and your life is as full as mine, home is what it is all about. On my many travels get to see a lot of people in a lot of different places and the number of truly happy ones I encounter is woefully small. We all have so much going on in our lives that we forget that a kind word or acknowledgement is all it would take to make someone’s day. I challenge you to make it a priority tomorrow to make someone’s day! Let me know how you get on.

  • Almost 50

    I am now on the doorstep to my 50th year, (it seems strange to even write that), I don’t think of myself as “old” or getting old. In many ways I feel younger than I did in my 30’s. I am certainly more emotionally energised and am taking advantage of every day. I do not allow months to pass where I look back and ask myself “what have you accomplished, who have you helped, what did those months achieve”, without an answer. In this way I am more proactive than ever before. I have found my place in the world and I have found my true love but instead of feeling I have “arrived” it it clear there is so much yet to do.
    Let’s face it we are living longer but that is no guarantee. It is not about the number of years it is how you spend them and I plan on living every one of them to the full. I am so fortunate to have my partner, my friends and my family, I will not take their love for granted and I hope to continue returning it for many more years. Come on 50, I’m ready for you!

  • “E” for excitement

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    The letter “E” is significant in the English language but recently it has taken on a whole new dimension. Just over three years ago we welcomed our granddaughter Ellie into the world. Today the power of “E” has increased as we now welcome the newest addition to the Wilks/Matthews Clan..Erin. “E” now stands for so much more! I have not been able to see Erin yet as I am away on business but I intend to make up for this that is for sure.
    This ever expanding family is phenomenal. We cross two seas (Atlantic and Irish) and multiple countries. As if the arrival of our newest member was not enough to rejoice we also have the pleasure of welcoming another new family member, by marriage, Amanda. Two new family members in as many days…wow, how lucky are we?

    Congratulations to Matt, Sarah and Ellie and to Mark and Amanda! Thank you for writing the preface of the next chapters of our family history.

  • Simple Pleasures

    If you follow this blog you know that I travel quite often for business. Normally I have such brief stays in ant one location that it is not uncommon for me to only travel to the customer site and the hotel before going back to the airport. However, when time permits I love to take in the local culture usually through its cuisine. This week I am in lovely Milan, unfortunately I brought our UK weather with me once again. On the bright side my colleague and I have the opportunity to enjoy our first evening’s meal in a wonderful local restaurant. It was so good that we had to return for the second night in a row. The food and the staff are incredible! At the end of our meal we were enjoying the last of our wine and suddenly the waiter appears with a small plate of tiny pastries sprinkled with powdered sugar and a bottle, yes, not glass of, Lemoncello. I was immediately throw back to my childhood, (which is getting to be a much longer throw), I said to my colleague “strovalli”, he looked at me and said “what?” I said “I’m sure my grandmother used to make these for us and we called them strovalli”. Our Italian side of the family had names for things that you couldn’t always trace back to its Italian roots. I popped one in my mouth and I knew I was right. So when the waiter whizzed by I said “can you tell me what you call these”, pointing to the plate. He said “we call them strovalli”. Score!!! I knew it.

    Almost 50 years on and one taste sparked a flood of childhood memories. The only difference I told the waiter was that my grandmother used to drizzle honey over them. He said “ah yes, that is the way we have them at home”. I guess sticky honey could be quite messy in a restaurant setting. So here I am 4+ decades and more than 4,000 miles from my home town and I rediscover one of life’s simple pleasures. Grandma, here’s to you “salute!”

  • A Family Tradition for Valentine’s Day…Now Fully Appreciated

    For as long as I can remember (that’s how theses stories always start don’t they, kind of like “once upon a time”…) every Valentine’s Day, my dad gave me a card and some kind of treat. I am the only girl between two boys and I used to think Dad did the card and treat thing so I wouldn’t feel left out when Mom got her Valentine’s gift. As I grew up and out of our family home my dad still sent the card on Feb 14th. I thought it was sweet that he kept up what was now a tradition. This year when the card arrived I finally understood why Dad started this in the first place. It was not so I wouldn’t feel left out and it wasn’t because it became a tradition after all those years, it was because of the very special bond a father has with his daughter. It is something no one else in the world can truly understand. I guess it has taken having two beautiful granddaughters and getting to see that father/ daughter bond grow between them and their dads that has finally given me the perspective.

    So, thank you Dad for this year’s card and for all the cards and treats in years past. I love you!

    Your favourite daughter xx

  • Welcome

    Early this morning a very special bundle arrived. 5 days after his official due date but exactly on time according to his mum. Rach said from the beginning that they were off by a week by her calculations.  Young Master Wilks made his entrance just one hour after arriving at the hospital. Much to the relief of mum because child number one took over 30 hours to appear.
    When you have been waiting for the call and than it finally comes, all the questions come tumbling out at once. Is it a boy or a girl? What did it weigh? Is it healthily ? Is mum okay? Do you have a name yet.  Once the torrent of questions are answered you then shift to the next gear. Firstly, giving thanks for the welfare of both mother and child and then the random thoughts kick in. Will it have hair or will it be bald as a cue ball? Will he be a screamer or quiet baby? Will he play rugby or be a math wizard? What will the world be like when he grows up? Now the fun begins as we get to discover the answers to each of these questions and the million more that are out there waiting for him. World meet Baby Wilks, Baby Wilks the whole world awaits.