Category: Family & Home

Smart Gifts for Gardeners

With the shipping problems across the country, many of us are looking for garden gift ideas closer to home. American-Made Outdoor Furniture If you are looking for outdoor furniture, check out Berlin Gardens LLC in Berlin, Ohio. They make a wide variety of tables, chairs, pergolas, and gazebos out of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It is…


Surviving Suffering Like a Champ

When a friend challenged me to a reading contest on Goodreads a couple of years ago, I was reluctant. Did I really want my reading selections broadcast on the internet for friends and strangers to see? Despite this qualm, my arm was twisted, and I began recording the books I read, often giving them a…


Dear Next Generation: Advice to My Future Great-Grandchildren

The advice I leave here for my future great-grandchildren is the same I give to my children and grandchildren if they were to ask me. First things first: 1. Make the Lord our God your #1. Know him personally, accept him, pray to him, and worship him. I regularly pray for all of you. When…


Studying Biographies Can Boost Your Vision and Ambition

In “The Bridges at Toko-Ri,” a movie based on James Michener’s novel about the Korean War, Adm. George Tarrant watches his pilots fly off from the aircraft carrier’s pitching deck to attack the enemy and asks, “Where do we get such men?” Good question. Where did they come from, the men and women who founded…


Video: 14-Year-Old Runner Pushes Her Big Brother in Wheelchair so They Can Race Together

Unwilling to see her brother relegated to the sidelines in his wheelchair, a high school cross-country runner takes part in school races pushing him around the course. The pair are not officially recognized as legitimate competitors, but that doesn’t stop them from crossing the finish line as winners every time. Teens Jeffrey and Susan Bergeman…


Hosting for the Holidays: How to Turn Your Home Into a Warm, Welcoming Space for Fellowship

A long time ago, I went on a weekend college trip where the main speaker at the event made a huge impact on my 19-year-old heart. I returned home to a large family gathering of at least 35 people. My mother was always enthusiastic about such gatherings and worked at a clipped pace, smiling throughout—a…


Introducing Children to Etiquette

To ensure a generation of well-mannered adults, it’s required to teach common courtesies to children. Instructing them in the art of practical etiquette—knowing how and why to behave—provides lifelong benefits that they’ll pass along to their own children. Turn the Phone Off Patricia Rossi, author of “Everyday Etiquette,” suggested banning phones and all other electronics from…


Sioux Falls Groom’s Best Man Leaves Couple Hanging, so 74-Year-Old Grandpa Mans Up to Fill Role

Groom Jacob Akerson and his then soon-to-be-wife, Maria, had their wedding day all planned out when, out of the blue, the best man jumped ship at the last minute. One of Jacob’s closest friends, Andrew, in California had just gotten a new job after languishing unemployed during the pandemic, and he couldn’t take time off. “It…


Heart Surgeon Saved Life of Bakery Owner’s Dad 15 Years Ago; Now She Sends Him Cakes Every Year

Each year, she bakes a special cake for him, piping heart-shaped red icing with little black stitches for a decoration on top. Every year since 2006, she bakes a cake for her dad’s heart surgeon, Dr. James Fingleton, to say “thank you” for saving his life. Owner of Mad Hatter Bakery, Audra Lalli, 50, is…


Son Breaks Down Hugging His Mom for the First Time Since Pandemic Separated Them for 2 Years

A London-based actor, whose mother moved to Australia just before the pandemic, got the surprise of his life when she walked into a West London pub. The pair shared their first hug in two years, and the emotional moment that was caught on camera has since tugged at netizens’ heartstrings. “I had no idea it…