Month: January 2016
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The doll of her dreams
The six-year-old friend took one look at Caroline’s 18-inch doll, sniffed and said, “that is NOT an American Girl Doll. This is an American Girl doll.” She flipped her own doll over and showed her the two strings hanging down the back of her real, American Girl doll. Suddenly, Caroline, who had played quite happily…
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The carpenter and the rowdy boy
The rowdy boy could not help but be noticed by everyone at the Wednesday night church program for kids. He roared. He ran about wildly. He ran into the pillars of the church, physically and spiritually. The spiritual pillars considered how long he could stay in the program. Maybe, some said, they should tell him…
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New Year’s Resolutions and Proverbs
EL Joan’s column for 1-10-16 Four, three, two, one, Happy New Year! The festivities cease and it’s time to tackle that list of resolutions: to eat more veggies and less junk, to spend more time with family and less time with that electronic device, to cut out that habit of smoking, nail biting, partying or…
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Katie arrives
She arrived a month ago with little fanfare or fuss – our 14th granddaughter Katie Charlotte. As the fourth child she fought for attention even on the day of her debut. My daughter called us from the labor room to say, “Caroline has cut her fingers at school. The nurse thinks she needs stitches.” We…
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Courts and the mentally ill
The sigh is universal. The despair and frustration evident. The inevitability of the time it will take for the judicial system to process, address the legal and medical needs before finalizing any case dealing with a brain disorder wears on the patience of all involved. Recent cases demonstrate the situation. During Circuit Court, the inmate…