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Should adults read children’s books?

Genres are a strange construct. We create them for music and books, but do they place us at a disadvantage? When it comes to music, I’ve heard songs that sound more like rap or pop but are labeled country. How many listeners who do not prefer country will simply skip that song without even listening to it? How much do we miss out by placing labels on things? I see this happening with adults and children’s books. Children’s books have lessons for adults. Thanks to reading children’s books as an adult, I felt a jolt that transported me out of my jaded attitude. I started to ...

Three reasons to dress up for church

Does it matter how we dress when we enter the house of the Lord? Should we dress up a lot, a little, or even at all? I don’t think this question is given enough thought, even among pastors and church leaders. People often just wear what is comfortable or what is deemed acceptable in their local church. Half a century ago, it was a given that you “dressed up” for church. Corporate worship was the highpoint of the week and wearing your “Sunday best” was assumed. But in the 1970s and 80s, there was a shift in how people thought about Sunday dress. Many pastors were concerned ...

The legend of crow wings

I recently stumbled across a fascinating article that led me down an intriguing path of local Native American history. It began with a vivid description of life in the Juniata River Valley as a member of the Delaware tribe. My imagination quickly transported me back to the 1700s, where I could see the village and hear the children’s joyful squeals as they ran and played. I envisioned the women gathering food and preparing it over open fires, dressed in deerskin skirts and belts adorned with beads and porcupine quills. They were accessorized meticulously with deer antlers and wampum ...

‘Sibling rivalry’ between MCL, JCL

Happy summer, everyone. This is Memorial Day weekend. The library is closed today, Saturday, as well as Monday. The library will offer a summer reading program for all ages. It’s just that things are different this year due to library renovations at the Lewistown Library. Children’s activities will take place at the Kish Library in Belleville with other activities around Lewistown as scheduled. Miss Kelly is finalizing details as we speak and information will be available when you visit the library next. I know that renovations are interfering with normal everyday things at ...

A mother’s love is like nothing else

My daughter Joy messaged me last week to ask me what I wanted for Mother’s Day. Unsure if she meant from herself or from all four of my offspring, I replied with, “Well, what’s my budget?” Her tongue-in-cheek response was one million dollars. You have to know my daughter to appreciate her dry humor. My quick reply was, “Great, finally mothers are getting what they deserve!” Of course, I wasn’t serious, but then again, after birthing and raising four of them, two of which were twins, perhaps I was. Mother’s Day as an official holiday began in 1914 when President Woodrow ...

Welcome to Pie 101 in Bev’s Kitchen

Hello from the kitchen! Who doesn’t like pie? My dad’s favorite was the Montgomery pie. I was doing some research on the history of pies and apparently its roots stem from ancient Egypt and Greece. History says the pies were filled with savory things like meats and vegetables. Apparently fruit pies came later. Quiche is an excellent pie for a nice Sunday brunch. I’m sharing some pie making pics to show you that making crusts is not difficult. For me, it’s relaxing. So what would you make if you had an empty crust or two? Strawberry, apple, raspberry, lemon, quiche, Montgomery, ...