Collecting My Thoughts

What life lessons did your parents teach you? We had a question like that in a group exercise at the women's club this week. I wrote a b...

I saw this today. "The greatest gift my father has ever given me was his time." That's not the kind of dad I had. He worked ...

A letter from Dad.  He always left the correspondence up to Mom, but I did have a few notes from him after her death in January 2000, and fo...

The exclusiveness of being Norma There are no men named Norma . There are no similar or even fairly similar names to Norma for either me...

Friday Family Photo My parents wedding photo. This is when the Scots-Irish side and the German-Swiss-English side of my family got together ...

3357 Are you from Podunk? For you non-USA'ns, "Podunk" is a synonym for the town from nowhere--too small to matter. Except ...

Friday Family Photo Home on Hannah Avenue My parents owned this home in Mt. Morris, IL from 1951-1958, then moved to Lincoln Street until...

Monday Memories Honoring our Veterans For all who have served, thank you for our freedoms. May we honor you by not abandoning them. Dad ...

We miss you Dad My Dad died four years ago--May 18, 2002. This photo, which I think was taken about a year before he died, makes me smil...

Monday Memories Did I ever tell you that my Dad played football against the Gipper ? Not really, he played against Ronald Reagan, 40th Presi...

Monday Memories Monday Memories Did I ever tell you about my green thumb? On one of my parents’ visits (they lived in Illinois and we live...

2153 Can't you sit like a lady? One of the Thursday Thirteens I have in mind to write is proverbs, sayings and comments from my parents ...

1756 Happy Birthday Marines Semper Fi, and thank you all veterans and current armed forces members for your service this Veterans' Day...

1624 The Nose Knows People born after 1970 probably have a sense of smell influenced by air fresheners and scented candles. But my nose ...

1338 Did you spend the night at Grandma's house? Parenting is the title of a column in the Plain Dealer written by Dr. Sylvia Rimm . ...

1149 The Father's Day Card On May 18, 2002 I was at the Columbus Museum of Art waiting for an exhibit guide, and selected a Father...

1043 Halcyon Days After church this morning I was talking to Lori who is teaching knitting to the children of Highland School where many of ...

584 In Memory of Dad While Dad's away at war, we plant our "victory garden." 

468 The September 11 Anniversary September 11, 1960  It is our 44th wedding anniversary. For our 40th, we went to Illinois and worshipped i...