To give is to receive, so why not give compliments?

A compliment is pleasure to the soul as well as a euphoric, symphonic pleasure to the mind. Better yet, it’s a pleasure that is shared equally by both the giver and the recipient. The smile of the recipient cast upon the giver can provide rejuvenating energy for both persons.

What is an expert, you may ask? Experts are all around us — experts on finance, construction and teaching, as well as experts in every discipline you can think of. These disciplines are further divided into more specific fields, each with its own group of experts. For example, in my field there is an expert for wood flooring, for windows, for zoning, and so on. One of my college professors defined an expert as “…anyone who lives or works five miles from you.” He added, “And if you don’t like that expert go 10 miles and find another expert.”

Each Memorial Day my husband receives an invitation to a reunion of the Second Infantry Division Korean War Veteran’s Alliance. Usually he tosses the card in the wastebasket, but three years ago he, asked, “Want to go? It will be in Charleston. We can stop there on the way north for the summer?” “Why not, Charleston has always been one of my favorite places.”

What I did not realize, was that this was an opportunity for me to know another side of my husband that throughout our entire marriage was never revealed. I was not alone. The wives I met, all agreed it was finally time for our husbands, the veterans of the Korean War, to be able to express their deepest feelings, the emotions that they have held within themselves, all these years. [...]