When your birthplace is designated a superfund site, you truly can’t go home again. If you ask my father where he comes from, he would say Joplin, Missouri. He lived there from a relatively young age, graduating from Joplin High School. Sometime after he graduated, my grandparents moved to Lawrence, Kansas. I remember visiting them… Continue reading Picher: “America’s Most Toxic Town”
E unum pluribus. Out of one organized religion, many ancestors have I found. I've written many different essays on my maternal ancestors' Scots-Irish heritage and, in particular, their Scottish Covenanter beliefs and religious practices. Here are just a few of the topics related to my ancestors' involvement in the Covenanter/Reformed Presbyterian communities in which they… Continue reading Mystic Sweet Communion
At least it’s a little easier with a backhoe than with a plow. Relocating has become easier, and more options to assist in the moving process are available than ever before. But at the end of the day, it’s still one of the most stressful of life events. I’ve written quite a lot about my… Continue reading Pulling Up Roots
