I woke up this morning with a message from my daughter, “I’m so glad you were safe when you were there [Paris]”. My husband said, “I worry about all the trips you take.” My reply: I have to live my life and I refuse to live it in fear. That’s what these terrorists want. They want us to hunker down in fear and worry. I refuse to do it. I will not be intimidated by cowards that are sneaky and that prey on innocent civilians. My heart and prayers go out the people of France, especially those who live … Continue reading Fear Will Not Rule 

I was born in June, 1945, at the end of World War II. I don’t know much about it personally because my parents or my grandparents rarely talked about it. I do know my daddy was in the European theater and that he was injured. Two of my mother’s brothers and my grandmother’s brother fought as well. My father-in-law served, too. My brother-in-law served in Vietnam. Fortunately, they all came home. As Daddy grew older, he began to talk about his service to our country, but he didn’t give much detail. I think that he and others just wanted us … Continue reading Veterans Day Thoughts

Recently I was in Shenandoah National Park. The tour group I was with spent the night there and had dinner there as well. After dinner we were in for a treat. There was entertainment. A group of ladies called the Shenandoah Valley Cloggers danced for an hour. As I watched them clogging to song after song, I became aware that they were not all young. One lady looked my age. I was amazed as she clogged away, never missing a step. Oh, she may not have kicked as high as the younger ones; but she never stopped. Wow, was I … Continue reading You Have to Live