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Who is a friend in need? There are few things as satisfying in life as a good friendship. Children crave friendships intensely, and we continue to cherish our friendships through life’s waning years. The “texting” shorthand “BFF”—“Best Friend Forever”—speaks to a heartfelt desire that is almost universally felt. Who would not want a friend with whom we can share...
Pranks, practical jokes and general foolishness are the hallmark of April Fools’ Day, celebrated by many around the world on April 1st of every year. What is it all about? Is it just harmless fun? Are silly shenanigans, playful pranks or stupid stunts really harmless?
When I was a boy, my grandmother used to send our family copies of a Pennsylvania newspaper, Grit, which published only good news. Grit displayed news and features aimed at rural America, and climbed to a weekly circulation of 100,000 by 1900, and reached nearly half a million by its 50th anniversary in 1932. Grit is still printed today as a bimonthly magazine,...
On January 27, a number of national and international events took place as part of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. It was on that day in 1945 that over 7,000 prisoners were liberated from the Auschwitz concentration camp in southern Poland.
Some time ago, I was traveling down the interstate when a most surprising thing happened. We were in the middle of a snowy day (which is actually not the surprising thing, considering January weather in upstate New York, where my family and I lived at the time). What was surprising, however, was the cascade of snow, ice, and gravel that landed on top of our...
I came across a bag of keys collected over a few decades. The keys were from cars, apartments, houses, and offices that my wife and children and I have had over the years.
As I entered the county courthouse in the small Southern town where I grew up, it was a special day for me. At age 14, I was going to take my license exam to obtain a driving permit! While I waited my turn, I walked around the old building with its high ceilings and creaking floors. This was the time of the racially segregated South. In an alcove, I saw two...
When I was in my twenties, I would take the opportunity to visit my paternal grandmother on a Friday night. During these special visits, my grandmother would feed me a delicious meal as we talked sitting at her dining room table. Through some gentle prodding from me, she would recount her life, her upbringing, her family, and her life with my grandfather.
I had...
Years ago, a friend and I stood on a mountain crest located on the Cumberland Plateau. Before us were broad grassy meadows, created from land that had been strip-mined. Although major damage had been done to the land through clear-cutting of timber and strip-mining, reclamation was producing positive results. The meadows were pleasing to the eye and the animal ...
What happened to the "functional" family? You know, the one with a Dad and a Mom and children centered around the home, doing the things families do: working together, playing together, laughing and sometimes crying together.