"It's all over," said the woman sitting across from me on the MARTA train we were riding to airport. "Thank goodness!" Maybe everyone feels relieved when they leave the annual America's Mart, the largest trade show for gifts in the world. Traveling for work, flying, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants every night, are luxuries I never would have dreamed of as a child, and I try to remind myself every year when I visit Atlanta for the big show. But it's also a lot of work and … [Read more...] about Four Days in Downtown Atlanta and the World of Coca-Cola
Riding the Red Rose Transit Bus for a Month
For the month of November, I took the bus to work. Friends suggested the idea to me in October, during a group discussion about the merits of public transportation. Public transportation, they proposed, is less stressful than driving your own car. It reduces traffic, it's cheap, it's gets you into contact with others. So I decided to give it a try. The bus that goes past my home and close to my office is provided by the Red Rose Transit Authority (called "RRTA"). The Red Rose is the … [Read more...] about Riding the Red Rose Transit Bus for a Month
Spying Out Washington, D.C.
"Oh, Susan. You've never been to the Spy Museum? You should go," someone told me recently. Later, I related the conversation to my friend Martina, and she said, "I've never been there either! Let's go, I'll drive!" So last Saturday was the chosen day for Martina and I to visit the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. I get to Washington D.C. about every three years or so, and there's always so much to see, especially for people like Martina and I, interested in news and … [Read more...] about Spying Out Washington, D.C.
Church Campout
Every September, my church forsakes the comforts of New Holland and travels northwest to the forest of Manheim for a weekend of privation and fellowship. Well, not really. We the people of Oasis Mennonite Fellowship had our annual church campout at the United Zion Camp Grove earlier this month with communal meals in a dining hall, church services in a tabernacle, and sleeping accommodations in tiny cabins with electricity and indoor plumbing. United Zion Camp is located in the woods between … [Read more...] about Church Campout
Summer’s End: A Baptism, a Birthday, and a Wedding
This summer has been wet and buggy, but it's coming to an end. For the past week or two, the mornings and evenings have been delightfully cool, the school buses have been running, and I'm ready for a new season. I didn't have any big adventures this summer, but I thought I'd write a newsy, circle-letter like blogpost about the past month. On August 3, my niece, Angie, was baptized in Mill Creek at Lancaster Mennonite School, along with three other young people from Crossway Mennonite … [Read more...] about Summer’s End: A Baptism, a Birthday, and a Wedding