These Our Hymns of Grateful Praise

Historical facts are always in dispute.  Not having been at the Thanksgiving celebration at Plymouth Plantation so many years ago, I can’t tell you what was said, how politically correct were the attitudes, whether the Native Americans spoke excellent English, as some claim, or excellent Algonkian.  I’m not even sure what was consumed, although wild…

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Comfort and Joy–And Not Just At The Holidays

I’m enjoying my Facebook experience.  Many of you have found my Emilie Richards page and signed on as “fans,” a word Facebook coined but one that always makes me feel like a wannabe rock star.  I prefer “readers.”  It’s easy to interact on the page, and I like finding out more about you and what…

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A Rose By Any Other Name–Robin, Rachel, Ruth, Rita?

What’s in a name?  If you’ve ever named a child, or even a pet, you know the answer.  We don’t take this lightly, do we?  “Oh, we’ll call the new puppy Rover, that’s easy.  We’ll call the new baby Jane or Mary because they’re easy to pronounce and spell.” Rover, Jane, Mary?  All perfectly good…

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Strange Holidays and New Traditions

I’m embarrassed to admit I have almost every Christmas tree ornament that’s ever come my way.  My husband, who just cleaned our attic, knows this is true since we have too many boxes filled with sagging salt dough drummer boys and flaking gilded walnuts.  I saved every ornament my children made or bought for our tree, planning…

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My Special Key to Happiness

I believe in dreams.  Dreaming and working hard can help us realize our heart’s desires.  On the other hand I’ve seen many hard-working dreamers who never reach all their goals and consequently feel they’ve failed.  As a mother I urged my children to choose work they loved.  That way, the work, itself, would be a dream fulfilled, and whatever…

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And Crown Thy Good With Brotherhood

Living in Northern Virginia comes with fabulous perks.  One of them is the proximity of Washington DC’s amazing and free museums.  Living in Nothern Virginia comes with problems, as well.  We are an ambitious lot, working far more than the so-called normal 40 hours a week, and using cars as weapons so that we can be…

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