My husband and I recently celebrated our 50th anniversary. Not of our wedding day, but of the day we first met. It was a blind date, and an easy day for me to remember, because it was exactly a week before the 4th of July in the Bicentennial Year of 1976—our country’s 200th birthday. I’ve thought of that often as we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July this year, on our country’s 250th anniversary—or Semiquincentennial, which is not just a mouthful to say, but [...]
Back when I was old enough to be dreaming about the future, but young enough that it was still far off, I used to imagine what an idyllic evening in my grown-up life might be like: Lying on the sofa with a fire in the fireplace and soft music in the background. A glass of wine and a good book close at hand. My husband in a chair nearby, and a big, sweet dog asleep on the floor next to me. I’d hear the sound [...]
There’s a new show in town, and it’s a big, big deal! It’s called Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, and it’s a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit that’s been making its way around the country since 2020. It’s in Georgia now, and Putnam County, where I live, is the first of only a handful of locations in the state that will be hosting it. The exhibit never goes to major, big-city museums—only to rural and small-town locations. It also includes a lot of moving parts. [...]
Hamburgers or hot dogs. Which food would you say is more American? How about peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese? Apple pie or chocolate chip cookies? These were some of the decisions I had to make—along with my three teammates—at a recent training session for upcoming school field trips to the Georgia Writers Museum, where I’m an active volunteer. The project wasn’t really about food, however. It was about discussion, debate, and decision-making. It was about the voting process. The preparations were in advance [...]
New Year’s Day is a celebration of new beginnings. Ash Wednesday begins a season of sacrifice. Yet both have something in common for me, and they involve thoughtful planning and reflection. Anyone who has read my columns or blogs for any length of time knows I still make New Year’s Resolutions every year. I give some thought to them, and try to come up with resolutions I can actually keep. Whether I really do is another story, of course, but I give it my best [...]
At my writers group’s holiday party, one of our members shared a story from her days as a 2nd grade teacher back in the mid-1980s. It was about the last day of school before Christmas vacation, when a shy young student stayed behind after everyone else had left the classroom. The little girl apologized that she hadn’t been able to get a gift for her teacher as the other kids had done. She explained that her mother said they couldn’t afford it. But the girl [...]
I can’t tell you how many times in the last four days I’ve heard someone start a sentence with those—or similar—words. It all began last Thursday. I turned the TV on around noon, shortly after white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney indicated that a new pope had been elected. But as yet, no one knew who he was—and no one would, until he came out onto the Vatican balcony for the first time. Although I had other things to do, I stood there, mesmerized, [...]
The last real dress-up event I can remember going to was my son’s wedding. But that was eight years and more than a few pounds ago, so even though my dress from that day has been hanging in my closet ever since, I didn’t think it was a viable option for today. Unfortunately, I was right. The reason I needed a fancy dress now is that I’m going to a black-tie event organized by Georgia Writers Museum, which is a co-sponsor of the Townsend Prize [...]
When my kids were little, I always enjoyed taking them to the library, and realized early on that the Children’s section had a wealth of information and ideas for adults, too—especially those who were considering starting a new hobby or activity, like gardening, painting, or making gross-looking snacks for Halloween. Children’s books were quicker to read and easier to understand than the “How-to” books in the Adults section, and provided a basic overview and instructions for getting started. This, of course, was long before YouTube [...]