Relationships & Family

Preserving the Past

jbloustein — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:17:29 -0500

Growing up, my extended family was a large one but I lived far from most of my relatives.

Moreover, half my grandparents died before I was born and most of my aunts and uncles were emotionally distant people.

The result was that, even though I was blessed with two loving and attentive parents, I often felt lonely and adrift.

For this reason, I resolved that, should I ever be a parent, my children would be raised in the bosom of their extended family. In this way, I thought that they could never feel as alone as I had.

The Forgiving Quilt

mcherkezian — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:17:52 -0600

Bulging red rubber tubs of decorations were scattered around the living room of my log cabin as I prepared for the holidays: Christmas lights and ornaments for the tree, red and green candles for the windows, holly for the fireplace. I’d wrestled the tree into its stand. Now I needed a quilt to spread around the bottom for a skirt.

I went to the linen cupboard. One quilt immediately caught my eye: a hand-stitched antique. Do I really want to put this on display? I thought as I pulled it out. The one she gave me?

Their Stories

admin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:44:00 -0500

My name is Nicholas Rider. I'm 14 and last year I published my first book. How's that? you ask. Well, it started with my grandfather.

Grandpa was a veteran of World War II, and maybe because I loved building model airplanes, I always used to ask him about what he'd done in the war. He was pretty modest about it. "Not a whole lot," he said.

The Gift of a Thousand Words

edward-grinnan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:30:53 -0500

As a librarian, I’ve always been interested in documented history.

The Joys of Christmas Contest

mcherkezian — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:42:02 -0500

With the change of weather and the holidays approaching, we feel a sense of togetherness.

We want you to help us celebrate the season by uploading an inspiring story with a special family photo or video that depicts your favorite Christmas memory.

Click here for the full details on how to enter and to find out what you could win!

-----

The Hand-Me-Down Casserole

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:30:59 -0600

Ever since I moved to Florida, I'd spent Thanksgiving with my mother. Dinner was always the traditional American feast—roast turkey with giblet gravy; sweet potatoes; hot, crusty bread and something not quite so traditional, a family favorite: asparagus casserole. But a few years ago, at the age of 91, my mother died just days before the holiday. After the funeral, my grown children went back to Maryland with their families. It was just me and my husband, John. Why bother cooking a Thanksgiving meal? I thought. What was there to be thankful for?

The Golabki Sisterhood

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:11:40 -0600

I was looking forward to my sister Joan’s visit. She lives in Georgia—a long way from where we grew up here in the Northeast—and I don’t get to see her often. I was looking forward to catching up—and had one special request. “Will you make golabki?” I asked her.

“Of course!” she said.

Instant Replay

admin — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:08:00 -0500

In high school I played varsity football. I wasn't a star, but my senior year I was good enough to start at defensive and offensive tackle.

Four years of brutal preseason football camps, sweaty shoulder pads and buckets of black eye paint all came down to my last game.

I urged my dad to bring our video camera. I wanted to capture the last plays of my football career for posterity.

A Father's Story

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:55:48 -0600

This story is as much about my youngest son, Brian, as it is about me.

We're both quarterbacks. I played with the NFL's Miami Dolphins in the '60s and '70s, and Brian helped lead the University of Michigan football team to a national championship last year.

My playing days are over, but I still outline offensive strategies and dissect defenses most Saturday afternoons in the fall, as ABC-TV's color commentator for college football.

Her Mother's Daughter

mcherkezian — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:55:41 -0500

Cokie Roberts is an adept news analyst, a bestselling author and a trusted TV political commentator. But none of these things is her most important job. That distinction goes to something so basic, so instinctive, that some don't even think of it as a "job": being a mother.

To Roberts, 65, the mother of two and grandmother of six, balancing parenthood with professional life may be difficult, but it's hardly anything new.