by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Feb 4, 2019 | History, holidays, Nature, superstition
You probably know that last Saturday was Groundhog Day. Not exactly one of the big ten holidays, but still, there was a bit of hoorah around Punxsutawney Phil who did NOT see his shadow which means an early spring! Of course, French Creek Freddie, a resident of the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 31, 2018 | holidays, Waiting, Writing
What is it about the turning of the year that makes us want to reassess our lives? To pledge to do better or to, at least, not make the same mistakes we did last year? I’ve never been a fan of new year’s resolutions, but I do like the idea of making plans....
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 24, 2018 | History, holidays, Miracles
Five decades ago on Christmas Eve astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders were the first men to orbit the moon. This flight–Apollo 8–is the one during which Anders snapped the famous “Earth rise” photo. But they did something else...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 20, 2018 | Appalachian, Family, History, holidays, Memories, superstition, Thistle
While I suppose we were relatively modern when it came to my childhood Christmases, the old-timey traditions are still hanging on in the mountains. And there are some I very much think we should revive for broader use. Here are a few of my favorite Appalachian...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 13, 2018 | Appalachian, Family, holidays, Memories, Waiting
Guess what? It’s 12 days ’til Christmas! Yup, Christmas is less than two weeks away. Are you ready? Are you counting down with joy and anticipation? Or is there a little how-will-I-get-everything-done dread mixed in there? When I was little, we had a count-down to...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 6, 2018 | Appalachian, Church, holidays, Writing
Appalachia is about people as much as it is about place. We have a lovely Christmas tradition at my church. Our pastor gathers scripture for each day of Advent (December 2-24 this year) and assigns them to volunteers who then write a short entry for a devotional...
