LAKEWOOD – By Kathleen Marsh, Correspondent

Lakes Country Public Library welcomed Ally Diedrick as guest speaker on April 23. Ally appeared by invitation at a popular monthly program, “Social Time to Make Community Connections.”

Diedrick’s presentation, “A life of Persistence and Personal Rewards” captured and kept her audience spellbound from the start. She began by asking attendees to tell a little about themselves before launching into an inspiring Power Point centered around the importance of persistence in living a full and joyful life.

Focusing on using personal rather than outside rewards, Ally’s slides and handout “Make Today” contained meaningful quotes and examples. Several attendees were motivated to jot down tentative goals, a key part of the process. Others later thanked facilitator Linda McKenna for inviting Ally, saying they were already in the process of setting and completing goals.

“Ally helped us realize ways to live our best life with our own personal rewards, which is not something we think about on a daily basis,” McKenna said. “My favorite takeaway quote is one by Mark Twain: Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

It was an hour of Ally showing her warmth and caring about her audience. As a token of appreciation, she gave each one a copy of her book Make Legal U-Turn When Necessary. In the book, Ally uses playful wording and inspiring imagery such as “wrinkles are the roadmaps of my life” to describe her journey to joyful living.

And what a ride it was. “I changed states, lifestyles, careers, and moved seven times in two years,” she explained. “People often ask me how I survived. I tell them I not only survived, I thrived by using the motto moving forward, always forward. I hope my story inspires people to live their lives with persistence and to always forge ahead because the best is yet to come!”

Next Community Connections Speaker: Suzann K. Campbell Introduction to Japanese Ikebana Flower Arranging May 27, 2026

Photo Credit: Ally Diedrick