Dear Ann Landers,
How I wish I were a really good writer. Then, maybe I could put my thoughts into words and let you know exactly how I feel. I am an 86-year-old woman who is still keeping house, driving my car and enjoying life. I was blessed with a wonderful husband. He lived to celebrate 61 years of marriage with me. This morning, I decided to do some washing. I put my clothes in the machine, patted the side of the washer and said, "Do your job." And it did! While waiting for my washing to be done, I sat in my living room and watched TV -- waiting for the "ding" to tell me the washing was done. Then, I got up and put the clothes in the dryer. Sitting there, I thought: Dear God, what a wonderful life I lead. How blessed we are with all the modern conveniences. Do we appreciate them? Then, I looked in my kitchen and saw an electric stove, a microwave, a refrigerator, a toaster, a mixer and many more items that I haven't listed. I am not wealthy, but I'm not poor, either. I am just a simple, average, middle-class old lady who is living on Social Security and feeling truly blessed that I live in this wonderful country of ours. -- Mary Tury in Stockton, Calif.

Dear Mary,
Thank you for your beautiful, from-the-heart letter. Very few of us appreciate all the marvelous inventions of our time, especially those everyday appliances that make our lives easier. It was good of you to remind us.