Getting a Historical Perspective History geeks like me are always thinking about what a place looked like a hundred or two hundred years ago. For example, ever since I heard that the area around Plain City, Ohio, had been a hunting ground for Indians because it was where the buffalo roamed, I think about that…
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Living in a Land of Immigrants
The Melting Pot Once when I was at a bed and breakfast in Ireland sitting at a table with folks from other countries, a German photographer noted that while both America and Canada are populated by immigrants, America is different. He didn’t quite say what he meant by that because the conversation drifted to 9-11…
If I Won…
And the Winner is… Last weekend the annual ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference was held in St. Louis. If you write Christian fiction, you’re probably a member. If you read Christian fiction chances are some of your favorite authors were in attendance. It’s become the premier conference for Christian fiction. I’ve been several times…
How Many Ways Are There to Celebrate Oz?
OSU Marching Band Melts Their Version of the Wicked Witch It’s incredible to me how one story continues to captivate audiences and readers. The year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of the movie The Wizard of Oz continues, and this makes me proud to be a resident of the Buckeye state! I thought it was…
4 Ways to Preserve Your Family Stories
Stories, Not Just History Sure you need to keep your family tree charts and group sheets safe, but that’s not what I have on my mind today. I’m thinking about the stories, the things that are so easily lost and not attainable in public records. Have you ever said, “I wish I had asked my…
We’re Connected by Stories
Defining Our Attachment “…it’s our stories that tell us who we are. Our parents’ and grandparents’ stories are unique to each of us, to which we have an irrefutable attachment.” This quote came from this blog post. It speaks the truth, I believe. This is the sum of why I started researching my roots. We…
Pondering the Psalms
Studying the Book of Psalms There is certainly more than one way, and I’m not saying I’m a Biblical scholar, but I have been thinking about the Psalms as I consider how to better my prayer life. Some time ago I picked up a small booklet by Thomas Merton, Praying the Psalms. A couple of…
Collections of Beautiful Libraries
Finding the Coolest Libraries I thought about writing a post on the coolest libraries in the country, but the truth is, I haven’t been to them all. There are lots of other bloggers out there posting about cool libraries. Some of them even hold weddings! So, I thought I’d just share some links with you…
Libraries in America at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Let’s Go to the Library! How many times have we said it? Most of us can get to our local library within minutes and check out an armful of books and movies. We can ask a librarian to look something up for us, even while we’re at home on our computers. There is never a…
6 Novels Genealogists Will Love
But wait, might there be more than six novels genbuffs will enjoy? First, don’t shoot the messenger. There are surely more than six novels someone researching their genealogy will enjoy, but these are some that come to mind for me, and in case you haven’t read them, I hope I’ll be introducing you to some…