Columns

William Featherston was born in Montreal, Canada in 1846. He would die there when he was only 26. His life did not capture the attention of others and little is known about him. He is thought to have married Julie McAlister in 1869. She gave birth to the couple’s only child in 1870...

Privilege, really? Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, and others, was written while in prison at Rome. He was waiting for an audience with Nero, then emperor of Rome. It evidently was quite a wait, but while waiting Paul put his time to good use...

I am sitting here thinking about things that use to be, when my boys were the age of Cub and Boy Scouts. It has been many years since they were. I saw an event where Girl Scouts are selling candy starting Oct. 4, I believe. Made me wonder if Boy Scouts still sell popcorn. I have not been around any boys who are Boy Scouts or even Girl Scouts really. I felt that was a really awesome program for them to be a part of...

Hello all, hope everyone is doing okay. My honey bun’s sundowners has hit him real bad this week. He hasn’t been able to sleep for a few days now. He knew us, but was too weak to talk. We were able to feed him, which was a plus. Sunday will be our 59th wedding anniversary and we are celebrating at Memory Lane of Dexter with his friends there. I just might be able to get a word in once in awhile. LOL...

October is such a treat for the senses, and our senses are strong nostalgia triggers. I’m reminiscing as the memories pop up. “October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split-pea soup...[no thank you, tomato please]. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!” (Rainbow Rowell)...

“Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.” Samuel 17:4 Giants are mentioned several times in the Bible. Perhaps the most famous of these, Goliath, was approximately 9’ 6” tall...

Broken One morning during calving season in early October, my husband went to the farm, like every morning. He was running late getting home and called asking me to come get him because he thought he had sprained his ankle. He had no cell service in the field so he managed to crawl to the side-by-side and drove to the barn where he had a signal...

The boy was barely a year old when the atomic bomb dropped just 100 miles from his home. Six years later during his school’s show and tell, a classmate played the violin using the Suzuki method and the little boy fell in love with both the music and the instrument...

On things to come… This past week, my wife and I received some hard news. A very dear friend suffered a heart attack and passed away. I have no doubt of her destination, but still, it is sad for her family and her friends. Notice I used the words “passed away”. ...

I would like to share a little with you this week, and this is about me basically. A month ago they gave me a heart monitor to wear. I was having some small problem with my heart (just needed it checked out). After the month they found a few little problems with my heart. ...

Myrt and Vester are uncommon names. For individuals so named to become a couple makes the monikers more notable. They were Aunt Myrt and Uncle Vester to me though they were no kin. In reminiscing about our connection, I realize its origin is a mystery. I never thought to ask...

I opened my address book to find an address, so I could send an old friend a sympathy card upon hearing about the loss of her dad. As I addressed the card, memories flooded back. I wasn’t a member of the “cool kids” in school, but I DID have four good friends, two of which I still stay in close contact...

Hello everyone. How are you? My honey bun and I got to see each other today. It’s like we are dating again. Last week when we went to see him he was sleeping so I tried to wake him. Nothing at first then I asked him if I could get a kiss and boy did he pucker up...

What’s on your list? When we turn on our respective entertainment devices, we run the gamut of advertising paraphernalia. The ads just don’t stop. They each vie to be the first and foremost on your mind. Whether it’s a new mower or a juicy hamburger, advertisers want you to think of them first. Even churches advertise to let you know they can out do, or out preach another church...

“Will you be using your mobile app today?” Hearing that in the drive-thru rankles me even though employees are complying to training. I’ve been labeled a demand-resistant sorta soul, which explains my “By-golly, I-will-NEVER-be-using-that-mobile-app-since-you-obviously-really -want-me-to” attitude. (Now and then I have the slightly sinister inclination to download it just to order and pay for a large cup of ice water - if that would even work. But I digress)...

It seems a lot has been happening over the past week. You can tell that fall is just around the corner now. They have already started putting out Christmas decorations for sale. Doesn’t seem possible for the season to already be changing. I know many people are very excited about winter and maybe a lot of snow this year. I am not really crazy about severe hot or cold weather. I would be happy if temperatures would stay in the 70’s all year. Again, that is just me and how I feel...

Hello all, hope all is well and everyone is enjoying this nice weather we’re having. My honey bun got to enjoy it a little while Sunday. His sister Betty, Kitty and I had a wonderful visit with him. I think the girls thought we were having too much fun. He leaned over to kiss me and just kept it up. Kitty said, “Get a room!” LOL...

Just Visiting The heat is finally subsiding as Fall is nearly upon us. I can’t wait to hear the crunch of leaves under my feet. My many boxes of autumn decorations are on the back porch being unpacked little by little and put in place. They’re on the back porch because I saw a big snake skin in our storage building, and those boxes are not coming in my house. I’m hoping the mosquitoes, chiggers, and ticks will soon be gone as well as the snakes...

We are a little over a year from the presidential election. I’m at a loss on how to handle the onslaught of division, intolerance and hatred simmering amongst the voters of our nation. I don’t like to admit to myself that I struggle with these shortcomings as well. I know in years past, I’ve had friends and family who I’ve disagreed with, but we didn’t hate each other over our decisions. When did we stop agreeing that we WILL disagree?...

If I may, I wish to address the elephant in the room. These past couple of weeks have been difficult for our communities. Labor Day weekend and the week leading up to it led to more than a few casualties. This in turn led to funerals and the inevitable question of “Why”? Questions like, “Why did God let this happen?”, or “Why does God allow suffering in the world?” It seems in trying to seek comfort, we seek reason behind the actions of our world...

Signs Recently we experienced a blue supermoon. A blue moon occurs when there are two full moons in one month. Some may not believe that the moon affects behavior in humans, but law enforcement, hospitals, and teachers would probably disagree. The full lunar cycle takes 29.5 days to complete. ...