Month: February 2010
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Three girls from 5th grade
Honey blonde hair matted around Chloe’s hesitant smile of unbrushed teeth. Chloe spoke so quietly I doubt but a few heard a word she said during the few months she lived in the school district. I remember her as the kid everyone teased or ignored — one of the invisible students. Yet, she is one…
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Steuben County, N.Y. Farming
In the rolling hills of upstate New York, farming dominated the culture for centuries. Boys signed up for classes in agriculture in high school. Girls took home economics and learned how to sew and cook. This summer marks the 100th anniversary of my father’s family – the Hibbards – owning a farm in Steuben County,…
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worker man learns the language
The youngest grandson may not be able to pronounce his R’s and L’s, but Eli works hard to grasp the verbal and physical world around him. Around Christmas time, he figured out a word he had heard many times. “I know why they are called wise men,” he told his mother. “It’s because they are…
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God’s marriage analogy
If your primary occupation on Sunday morning avoids anything to do with church, don’t bother to read this column. If you weary of one more discussion on the importance of defining marriage as a heterosexual experience, stop reading. If you just want a warm fuzzy tale of family events, take a break and come back…