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Summertime!

Summertime!

Summertime 1968.  I was 12 years old.  The Detroit Tigers were playing baseball the way it was meant to be played, going 103-59.  Denny McClain goes 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA.  Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Bill Freehan.   Norm Cash.  Jim Northrup.  Oh, my!  The Tigers face the St. Louis Cardinals in the World series that goes seven games.   Detroit’s #2 starter, Mickey Lolich allows just five World Series runs in three complete games, winning all three, including the final game…and also helps himself in game two hitting his only home run of his 16 year career.  Are you kidding me???  Baseball.  Running through the sprinkler.  Splashing in a pool somewhere.  No school.  Hanging out with friends.  Summertime.  It is magic!  Summer 1968, I shot my basketball thousands of times against a backboard mounted on the garage in my backyard, while every radio in the neighborhood boomed the Detroit Tigers games for all to hear.   Wait!  What’s that??!!  Did Willie Horton just hit it out of the ballpark again??!!!  You bet he did!  And Al Kaline, racing back to the warning track in right field…you know he made that catch!  Oh, man!  Tigers win!!!

Summertime is full of magic and wonder if you know where to look, and with a little planning.  Maybe it’s not at the ballpark.  Maybe it’s at the beach or the mountains or the big city.  And maybe…just maybe…it’s in a perfectly grilled burger.  There used to be a recipe on the side of the box of Lipton Onion Soup..mix that into your hamburger and then make patties to grill.   Oh, yes!  Maybe it’s still on that box.  Now grilling a burger is a little tricky.  Too long on the grill, or press down too hard with the spatula, and the juices don’t stay in the burger and the burger is burnt.  But when you know what you’re doing…  Now add the cheese…oh, you have to add cheese!  There you go!  You just grilled up some summertime magic, and it is spectacular!

Need a little help?  Come see us for the “Taste of Home Ultimate Guide to Grilling.”  Just $5.99 until they’re gone!  The recipes are a-ma-zing!  Summer never tasted so good.  At the MoonPie General Store, we want to be a part of helping you make that summertime magic for your family.  And we know a lot of ways to make that happen, believe me!

And for some of us…summertime is all the better if the neighborhood radios are blasting a Detroit Tiger Baseball game!

Mike Beagan

Why Do You Read?

Why Do You Read?

Someone I follow on twitter posted a list of 12 reasons “Why We Read.”  If I asked you why you read, you might say “I enjoy reading.”  Maybe you would say “I read to learn.”  Perhaps you’d say “Reading relaxes me.”  You might say “I grew up reading books…they were important in our family.”  Maybe you read to bring romance or mystery or adventure into your life…at least through imagination and day dreaming!  Some might say “I read to connect with people and places that are not a part of my everyday world.”

I’m sure you could give me more and more reasons to read.  But it is that last reason, about connecting, that interests me today as I write to you.  That post on twitter with 12 reasons to read?  One of the reasons was to “know that we are not alone.”  I can’t think of anyone who has ever said that to me.  But I think if we stopped for a good while and gave thought to why we read, we would be able to express for ourselves that reading connects us to other people.  And it is in that connecting and relating to other people, that we recognize and appreciate those things we have in common with others, as well as our differences.

It brings us a measure of comfort to discover our own uniqueness, as well as seeing that other people often think and choose and behave in the world in much the same way we do, as they encounter similar life circumstances that become part of our daily living.  Indeed, we are not alone…and books introduce us to people and places and events that make up this ever-changing world around us.  Plus, with a book you do have some say in the who, what, where you are getting introduced to!

Need a new book to feel connected, or for any other reason?  Come see us.

Need a REALLY new book?  Tuesday, May 29th was the release date for the new Karen Kingsbury book titled “To The Moon And Back.”  We can certainly recommend Ms. Kingsbury to you, as well as many other authors whose writings will give you plenty of reasons….to read!

Our Four Year Anniversary!

Our Four Year Anniversary!

Four years ago yesterday…April 1, 2014…my work partner and friend George and I bought the MoonPie General Store in Pigeon Forge. It had already been our place of work. We’re both grateful for the many good things that have happened since this adventure started. Thankful for our great staff and the wonderful customers who have made our jobs a joy! And the loving support of our wives!
Michael Beagan
Simple

Simple

Sometimes

Less is better than more.
One is better than two.
Resting is better than doing.
Saving is better than spending.
Listening is better than talking.
Not having is better than having.

Sometimes.

Quiet is better than loud.
Better than any noise at all.
And a good book is quiet.
And you find your spot,
Your space or your chair.
And you open that book.
And it is enough.
You have your space.  We have your book.  Come see us!

Michael Beagan

New Year

New Year

Opportunity.  Possibility.  New beginnings.  Second chances.

We don’t sell these.  But if we could, we would.  And I bet the line would stretch out the door and around the block.

Truth is…these things are always right there.  You don’t have to wait for January 1st.  You can choose good things…maybe better things…for yourself and the people you love any day of the year.  And if you fall…fail…make a mistake…mess up…well, you can start again.  We should probably expect we’d find there are obstacles on the way to success, especially if we’ve decided to make a big change in our lives.  So perhaps we can let that influence our thinking and the way we label the process of choosing…the process of moving from good intentions into action and accomplishment.  Let’s agree to recognize our failures are nothing more than teachable moments for us to learn how to move forward and reach our goals.  Learn…and keep trying.

And let’s not get discouraged when we don’t see big changes right away.  Patience and small steps open the doors to the good choices we are making.

Lastly, make time in your life for the people who will encourage you and cheer for you.  People who seem to want to invest in you…who care about you.  People who you will be honest with you and whom you can talk to about important things.  People like this are treasures, and will help us recognize and make good choices.

Opportunity.  Possibility.  New beginnings.  Second chances.  Any day can be New Years Day.  We hope you have the desire and courage to make hard choices that bring goodness into your life.  We want that for you, and we want that for ourselves. And it will be a blessing when our paths cross, if you have time to share your story with us.

Mike Beagan

 

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