Every year my father donned his Santa Claus outfit and headed out. First he visited the small children in our home. Next he went to the neighbors, and finally he delivered cookies and gifts my mother had made to widows and shutins. One year a woman called the house saying she heard the knock, saw [...]
It’s that time of year again when a lot of us stand all bundled up,ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. Today is my shift and I’m not happy about it. I know I’m going to be cold and bored and have to listen to that ever-ringing bell the whole time. And I’m the one [...]
Stunning Betty is coming up. But first let me fill you in on her. She and her husband Jim are dealing with Jim’s sudden lung cancer. That’s hard enough but keep in mind this is West Virginia. Not much paid work but lots of unpaid work to be done just to stay alive. Betty’s job [...]
Olga’s father lived with her so she could care for him as he aged. She was working in the kitchen one day keeping an eye on him through the doorway into the living room He stood up and headed toward her calling out, “Daughter.” (He always called her daughter.) Just as he got to the [...]
Olga, a West Virginia mountain woman shared a bit of her life with me the other day. Decades ago she was left a widow with three young children. Shortly after that her husband’s good friend told Olga her husband had asked him to marry Olga to take care of her and the children. Olga did. [...]
Margaret Agard is an award-winning writer whose latest book In His Footsteps: How I Gave My Todo List to God and Got More Done, More Sleep and Less Stress is an 18 month slice of life of a woman committed to giving her life to God by giving today to God: or how to be happy driving in rush hour traffic, dealing with frauds and facing a mountain of manure.
