During a family vacation, my daughter-in-law yelled at the hotel staff: "Don't talk to the old lady. She's just a maid." My son laughed. He had no idea I owned the hotel. What I did next sent him into a panic. I'd been counting down the days to this trip like a child. At seventy-two, widowed, living alone in a quiet apartment in Illinois, I didn't get many opportunities to get the whole "family" together. When my son, Marcus, suggested a weeklong luxury vacation to a beach, I stayed up all night

8.4K views · 5.6K reactions | The age-old debate rages on: felt hat or straw hat? Will today be the day the straw hat reigns supreme, or will I regret my 5:09 am decision? We're getting a head start to beat the heat, but May gatherings and brandings have been known to end in snowy surprises. | J bar D Canvas and Leather | Facebook

129K views · 5.4K reactions | HAS MY LIFE HAD A PURPOSE?...