Grandmother
5 February 2010
At the end of ‘Saturday in the Park,’ the voices of Chicago croon: “I’ve been waiting such a long time for the day.” So have I! I’ve been waiting such a long time to write this column, putting it off, waiting for just the right time to say: “I’m going to be a grandmother!” Since Lauren’s due date is only 3 weeks away, it’s finally time to say the words out loud – and on the pages of the Times-Gazette.
more...
|
|
|
Waterpark
25 January 2010
Yes, that was me at Ohio’s largest indoor waterpark last weekend. I was hoping you hadn’t noticed, as I haven’t made it to the tanning salon or Weight Watchers yet this year, but there I was, bathing suit and all, in the middle of January. I didn’t just wake up on Saturday morning and say, “hey, let’s go to the waterpark.” No, this was a family group outing that began with brunch and then moved onto the slides and decks of the recreation area. I debated over sitting in the lobby with a good book, my clothes and my dignity intact, but figured I could at least attempt the lazy river and the hot tub.
more...
|
|
|
Haiti
18 January 2010
It’s midnight and beyond, yet I can’t tear myself away from the television as the haunting images from Haiti flicker across the screen. I’ve seen the same ten-year-old girl pulled from the rubble every hour, yet still I sit and watch, horrified and heartbroken. It’s too much, yet I can’t turn it off.
more...
|
|
|
Philip Wise
18 January 2010
It was through a quick check of my Facebook friends on Christmas Eve that I found the horrifying news that a Salvation Army officer had been shot to death outside his assigned post in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Major Philip Wise was delivering the final red kettles to the building when accosted by two young men in the parking lot. Within the blink of an eye, his life was ended and life was forever changed for his wife and for his three young children who witnessed their father’s murder.
more...
|
|
|
What We Call Home
7 January 2010
One of the guests in the ACCESS program (Ashland County Churches Emergency Shelter Services) recently asked me, “Do you ever get to go home?” Most Salvation Army officers have long days during the month of December, as do the elves who work at the North Pole – it’s just the nature of the beast. Yet as I thought about her question, I realized that in a very real sense, when I am at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center here in Ashland, I am home.
more...
|
|
|
Cousins
11 November 2009
The youngest of four children all born in Tonawanda, New York, my mother and her siblings lived within walking distance of each other their entire lives. That has not been the pattern for their children, as many of “the cousins” have moved away from the Buffalo area In part because of the lack of proximity, we have not kept in close contact, and regrettably, there are few occasions when the family members connect with each other. As the last remaining sibling of the Hodge family, my mother keeps us informed of weddings, births, and new jobs, but most of the cousins of my generation haven’t seen each other since my dad’s funeral.
more...
|
|
|
A Return to Cleveland Hough
3 November 2009
We recently returned to the Hough neighborhood in Cleveland for the 40th anniversary of that Salvation Army center’s opening, where we had served from 1990-1995. This long-awaited reunion provided plenty of time for telling stories, from the tragic to the triumphant, sprinkled generously with tears and laughter. We chuckled about the snowy day someone stole the lawnmower, leaving tracks right into the projects. We remembered how Larry discovered a nest of baby mice in the drawer of the reception desk – the scream heard round the world. Then there was the time Marilyn Quayle came to visit with an entourage of Secret Service, commandeering a third floor surveillance spot across the street from the center and making us very nervous.
more...
|
|
|
Cleveland Browns Football
3 November 2009
When the Browns played the Bills last week, I thought – there’s no way I can lose. If the Browns won I could count myself as a Browns fan, and if the Bills won, I’d claim my fan club membership as a Western New York native. However, after I catnapped through the debacle they dared call a professional football game, I decided: I’m done with the NFL – it’s Ohio high school football for me.
more...
|
|
|
Thriving Despite a Difficult Marriage Seminar
20 October 2009
Dr. Michael Misja, author of the recently released book,“Thriving Despite a Difficult Marriage,” will present a seminar on that topic on Monday, October 26th at 6:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, 527 E. Liberty St., Ashland, Ohio.
more...
|
|
|
Ashland County Fair 2009
12 October 2009
Simple Simon met a pieman going to the fair; said Simple Simon to the pieman, “Let me taste your ware.” I felt like Simple Simon as I wandered through the Ashland County Fair, tempted to eat my way from one end of the midway to the other. I love fair food, otherwise known as anything deep-fried or dipped in sugar. It’s pretty pathetic – if I had a choice between a prime rib dinner and a funnel cake, I’d take the funnel cake hands down.
more...
|
|
|