My mother, Mary Onezima Ralph Bradley, was the fourth of nine children and her brother, Luther David Ralph, Jr., was just 18 months older than she was. On December 18, Steve and I drove to his home in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, to celebrate his 100th birthday. I wrote the following memories that I printed out for … [Read more…]
Steve and I took a little 4-day, 3-night trip that was fun, relaxing, and easy. We left home on Thursday afternoon for a leisurely drive 110 miles from Newport to Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. We loved all the beautiful horse farms we passed. It took about two hours, so we had … [Read more…]
Life changes. How do you read those words? Do you see them as a sentence—pointing out that life is continually changing? Did you see it as a prediction that this piece would detail changes in my life? Obviously, it can mean either or both. A couple of years ago, Steve and I started talking about … [Read more…]
Last week Steve spoke to a group of rather unmotivated high school students for whom English is a second language. Their teacher, Lauren Crum, invited him. The next day, when asked what they learned from him, they shouted, almost in unison, “Have a Plan B!” His point had been that we should always have a … [Read more…]
As I walk briskly through our small town, I admire many of the houses and yards. Most are meticulously kept and reflect their owner’s pride in their property. Certain people seem to have more of a green thumb than others; I watch for interesting ways to landscape. In addition, I notice weeds. When I was … [Read more…]
This year has had peaks and valleys, highs and lows. Our first low was being in Fort Lauderdale when Esteban Santiago opened fire in the baggage claim area. Fortunately for us, we had just left that area and were waiting for our hotel shuttle. Our high for that day? Getting a taxi in that chaos … [Read more…]
So we had another “grandson weekend.” Knox, 10, stayed with us while his parents and older sister went to Winterfest, a spiritual weekend retreat for middle and high school students and their adult leaders. Many places have a “Winterfest,” but this one is sponsored by a cappella churches of Christ and attended by other groups … [Read more…]
You may notice that I have a new format for my blog posts and website. With this change comes a need to move to another server for delivering my blog posts to your inbox. So would you please take a moment to subscribe again, using the form at the right? I’d hate for you to miss … [Read more…]
When our daughter’s birth mother was pregnant, she had an appointment at an abortion clinic and changed her mind, leaving the waiting room. We have ever been grateful for her decision. Even before that, we were appalled by Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision approving abortion. Our family has always had strong objections … [Read more…]
I’m fortunate that my buffet has an excellent drawer for silver, including tarnish-proof cloth under and over the silver. My sterling pattern is Gorham Andante and we received most of it as wedding gifts. My parents gave us the rest for Christmas and birthday gifts the first few years after we were married. I was … [Read more…]
