Mother would sit in her rocking chair beside the kitchen stove reading the newspaper, a magazine or a book as she rested between chores on the farm.  The sink might be piled with dirty dishes, the kitchen table needed to be set for supper. A basket of clothes should be sorted or ironing done.  A kitten poked its head from beneath the stove.  Old Shep lay at her feet.   
Mother looked around, “I know.  There’s work to do.  But it will always be there.  And I won’t always have time to read.”
It was frustrating for a teenager and later a young married woman when …read more

Today I was catelogued the Christmas letters I’d written over the years to send to family and friends.  I enjoy receiving them and sending them.  So I’ve kept mine and other family members’ letters and cards.
At a family history writing workshop, a student remarked that she found putting copies of the Christmas letters into scrapbooks was a great way to begin compiling family memories. 
“What a great idea!” I thought. 
So I began putting copies of my letters into a folder, instead of having them saved here and there.  This morning, I began putting them into acid free sleeves in a three …read more