Love and Respect–Our Family’s Cycle

In the Old Testament's book of Genesis, Noah was the tenth and last of the biblical patriarchs. He was chosen by God as the only righteous man of his time and is known infamously as the hero of the Flood story (2,000-10,000 BCE). The name Noah peaked in 2016 when nearly 20,000 newborn babies were …

Hungry For History

I just love it when local history pops up before me. Who knew that since 2008 Smith Island Cake has been Maryland's official state dessert? And today, this cake is being awarded a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation through the Hungry for History Program that will fund a historic sign marker for it. …

Celebrating Our Family’s Men on This Father’s Day

Our daughter reminded me that my nearly 500 posts over these past 10 years have failed to describe our family's men's occupations.  Our men first migrated from Europe to America, many of them among the first voyagers to Virginia or on the Mayflower that landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  They were well-educated and used their intellectual …

Happy National Candy Cane Day!

Just when and how candy canes got their start is a bit more uncertain than their popularity today: 1.76 billion candy canes are produced worldwide each year. According to Carly Schildhaus of the National Confectioners Association, “legend has it that the candy cane dates back to 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in …

My Sandlot Days…

By Aaron McDaniel - August 22, 2020 "1993 Sandlot Kids" Recently my teenage grandson, Aaron, was browsing Facebook and came upon a post with a picture of the Sandlot kids that included the following quote: "At some point in your childhood, you and your friends went out to play together for the last time and …

“United we stand; Divided we fall!”

As so many others are doing during this now fifth month of the global Coronavirus pandemic and social distancing, I am turning to social media to maintain connections with family and friends.  In recent days, our millennial grandchildren have stepped forward with their voices about these unique times in our world's history.   I find their …

2020–A Year Without Equal for Most!

So far, 2020 has been the year of all years--one of a kind without equal for most of us! Beginning in December 2019, in Wuhan, China, a new coronavirus began appearing.  It was named Covid-19, a shortened form of “coronavirus disease of 2019.” No one on earth has an immunity to it because no one …

How’s Your Standard For Living?

How often have you stepped back to look from the outside-in to remember all those perfect times in your life?  Was it that expensive video game that Santa brought you?  Your first kiss, graduation day, that great job you landed, your wedding day, the birth of your children? A lot of firsts and yet all …