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More than a vacation: Lessons from the Hudson Valley

(Editor’s note: This column is part two of a two-part series.) As promised in my last article, here is the continuation of our adventure, this time focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, with a brief stop at Mills Mansion along the way. Mills Mansion was once again a stunning example of Gilded Age opulence. As we drove through the massive iron gates and up the winding lane, the scene before us left us wide-eyed and speechless. Perched high atop a hill overlooking the Hudson River, the mansion offered breathtaking views. The rolling green lawn and bright blue sky provided a beautiful ...

Phobias, elevators and rainbows

The fear of elevators doesn’t really have a name, like “elevatophobia.” Doctors usually link the fear of elevators to some other phobia. For example, people can have claustrophobia which is the fear of small, closed or locked spaces. And what’s an elevator but a closed and locked (for a short time anyway) space. Going along with that is cleithrophobia or the fear of being trapped or unable to escape. Not necessarily of being trapped inside an elevator but a person’s fear of an elevator can stem from this anxiety of being trapped. There’s also acrophobia or the fear of ...

Rural libraries: The heart of our communities

One of the aspects that drew my wife and I to live and work in central Pennsylvania was the beautiful landscape. The ridges and valleys are gorgeous, pristine and peaceful. There are few traffic lights in the more tucked-away parts of Juniata and Mifflin counties, which means less traffic. While the open space brings a sense of peace, it also brings challenges in uniting those geographically distant. In the United States, 84% of all land is rural and 25% of the population lives in a rural area. Rural areas can thus be known for isolation, low population density, mobility disadvantages ...

What Jesus meant by ‘rest for our soul’

Matthew 11 Have you ever felt overwhelmed with stress or know someone who has? Just about everyone has felt overwhelmed from time to time. How has stress affected you? Responding to a poll on the effects of stress run by a mental health foundation in the United Kingdom, many said overwhelming feelings of stress led them to overeat, drink and smoke. Stress made them feel depressed, anxious, alone, even suicidal. Unrelieved stress is a serious condition, so we all need healthy ways to deal with it. Some find temporary relief by watching videos on YouTube. That’s not surprising. ...

Time for a restful summer vacation

Many take time off for summer vacation. The goal is to rest. Whether that happens or not depends on kids’ behavior, how long sandwiches last on the road trip, and the weather at the beach. I vividly recall the camping trip to Florida at age 10. My dad had 13 weeks of vacation that year. He bought a huge tent and off we went with our green station wagon. Starting with budget friendly tuna sandwiches, 5¢ chicken wings, and bargain burgers, we first had the exhaust fall off on the DC Beltway. One day, our clothes and tents got wet, so we stayed in a $15 motel for two nights. We ...

Readers’ opinions

Only God is most trustworthy, not man To the Editor: We enter this world at the time appointed by God for our birth. We enter life knowing nothing. We have to learn everything: how to eat, how to talk, how to walk, etc. We learn from those God has placed in our lives to teach us. Our primary learning comes from our parents, and we learn other things from others we have contact with. One very important thing we needed to learn is to trust and who we could put our trust in. Not all of those who become involved in our learning of knowledge teach us what is true and right. So we had ...