Since I was a young girl, I've loved the number 22; that's because my birthday is March 22cnd; I liked the way the numbers looked and that I had a pair of twos. Another favorite number was 5; that's because my birth year was 1955. As with the twos, I liked the shape of fives … Continue reading June 22cnd: On That Day in History
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Forgiving Our Fathers: Forgiving Ourselves
Today we celebrate fathers. It's a day of remembering for those of us who have lost them. For my son, Brooks, who's the daddy of my grandsons, Baker and Parks, it's feeling the love and the huge responsibility for his exuberant two and four-year-olds. With this day of national honoring of these men, comes mixed … Continue reading Forgiving Our Fathers: Forgiving Ourselves
Armed Forces Day: A New Way to Celebrate
Yesterday was Armed Forces Day. When I was a girl, our family spent that day at Pope Air Force Base participating in the celebration. My parents were very patriotic, part of that "Greatest Generation" with Daddy an army veteran and Mama a Civil Service Worker during WWII. Being on the grounds of the base had … Continue reading Armed Forces Day: A New Way to Celebrate
September in Scotland: A Dream to Fulfill
Yesterday, I met my cousin Kim for ice cream and a delicious conversation about our upcoming trip to Scotland in September. Now that it's mid-May, it feels more real that this is finally going to happen. Like many others with travel plans, we were supposed to go in 2020-- before Covid changed everything. Our mission … Continue reading September in Scotland: A Dream to Fulfill
Family Reunion: A Gathering of Loyalty and Love
Yesterday we had our Smith Family Reunion, Mama's family that had eight children and twenty grandchildren. We were lucky that all but one of the eight-- three daughters and five sons, lived in North Carolina and we saw them regularly when we were growing up. I have fond memories of Grandma Smith's farm house bulging … Continue reading Family Reunion: A Gathering of Loyalty and Love
What do I need now?
Lately I've been thinking a lot about how to navigate this chapter of my life. As I mentioned in my post, Really Retired, I've finally ended my career as a nurse. Last week, I let go of taking care of my grandson two days a week which I've been doing for over three years. As … Continue reading What do I need now?
Cultivating Our Lives: From Seeds to Harvest
Today, I talked with my younger son, Ross who's thirty-five. Over the past year, I've watched his growing interest in land and eco systems, specifically the history of types of indigenous trees and plants that grew on my childhood farm, purchased by my great-grandparents in the 1800s. For the first time, Ross has planted twenty … Continue reading Cultivating Our Lives: From Seeds to Harvest
Student of Love: Valentine’s 2022
In the past fourteen months since my divorce, I've become a student of love. Even though I'd been married for forty years, I felt like I needed to go back and take a fresh look. Archived in the things that I've carried in my life are love letters written between my parents. They had twenty-seven … Continue reading Student of Love: Valentine’s 2022
Real and Imagined
Back in the fall, I was walking to the park with my three-year old grandson, Baker. A bird flew passed us and Baker said to me, "Grammy, birds are my friends." I looked at the delight on his face, watching the bird headed to a nearby branch of a crepe myrtle tree. "How do you … Continue reading Real and Imagined
Shallow Well Church Ladies
I grew up in Shallow Well United Church of Christ that was within a mile of my house and the focal point of our family activity. Besides large extended families on both my mother and father's sides, we had a church family that provided love and stability. The church was founded in 1831 when services … Continue reading Shallow Well Church Ladies
Connie Rosser Riddle 