by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 27, 2019 | Family, History, holidays, Uncategorized
Memorial Day is a day set aside for remembering those who have died in the service of our nation. Originally, it was proclaimed in honor of the Civil War dead by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. The order became official on May...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 23, 2019 | Appalachian, Church, Family, holidays, Memories
Monday is Memorial Day–the unofficial start to summer. And in Appalachia it means time to start planning for Decoration Day. Usually held on a Sunday in June, this is a day when cemeteries would be tidied and flowers placed on the graves. I’m not talking...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 9, 2019 | Appalachian, Family, History, holidays, Love
Yup. That’s right. The woman who invented Mother’s Day was born in Grafton, WV. Anna Jarvis campaigned for the holiday in honor of her own mother Anna Reeves Jarvis. Mother Anna was a social activist who organized Mother’s Day Work Clubs during the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Apr 25, 2019 | Appalachian, folklore cures, holidays, Miracles
I’ve always loved to bring wildflowers in the house. As kids we’d pick daffodils and forsythia, then wild azalea and lilacs, then daisies and black-eyed Susans. I even got in trouble for breaking off a branch from my mother’s redbud tree! But we...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Apr 1, 2019 | Appalachian, holidays
Just in case you didn’t notice, today is the first day of April. OR April Fool’s Day. I’ve never been a fan of April Fool’s jokes, but there IS a long-standing tradition of natives of the mountains (or most any place) playing tricks on...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Mar 4, 2019 | Church, holidays, Miracles, prayer, Waiting
Okay, so not many folks think of Lent, which starts this Wednesday, as a celebration. This is, after all, a serious time when we’re meant to reflect, repent, and ponder Christ’s sacrifice for us. But I love Lent and, for me, it’s a somber...
