"A natural disaster would be interesting to see," I once told some family members. "Not people dying or anything like that. I just think it would be fascinating to witness a devastating natural event of some kind. Don't you think so?" "No!" My family members were aghast. "That's crazy! Why would you want to see something like that?" "Oh." Apparently, not everyone daydreams about riding a boat down the street, or standing in a doorway during an earthquake and seeing if that really is … [Read more...] about Penny Letter From a Lockdown Zone
Family
Reprint: A Visit to the Umsiedler People
For my post this week, I decided to share an article I wrote in 2015 about a visit to Germany. I went there to attend the wedding of a friend, and learned about a church group with an interesting history. This article was published in 2015 in a magazine titled the Anabaptist Forum (reprinted with permission). It's written with history lovers in mind. If I was writing it again today, I might change a few things, but I decided simply to republish the original and insert some photos. A … [Read more...] about Reprint: A Visit to the Umsiedler People
Police Bullhorns at 3:30 a.m. and Coronavirus Panic
This morning I awoke to the sound of a police bullhorn blaring over the neighborhood. "Come downstairs, come out the front door, keep your hands up where I can see them!", boomed the distant echoing voice, interspersed with short blasts of a police siren. Shaking off deep sleep, I crawled out of bed and shoved my glasses on. Down the hall, I could hear my parents stirring. "They've set up roadblocks," said my mom, coming into my room. "I think they're looking for someone!" "Which … [Read more...] about Police Bullhorns at 3:30 a.m. and Coronavirus Panic
What We Did in Sarasota, Florida
Last week, I touched an alligator and a flamingo, waded in the Gulf of Mexico, and saw real coconut trees for the first time. My sister and her family had invited me along for a vacation in Sarasota, Florida. We had lovely weather all week, and I was blessed with many opportunities to take photos. Venice Beach and Siesta Key Beach Partly because a Penny Letters reader recommended it, we spent a morning at Venice Beach, and I went looking for shark teeth. I didn't take any of my … [Read more...] about What We Did in Sarasota, Florida
Pennsylvanians Drive Across Georgia, Counting Dollar Generals and Eating Boiled Peanuts
"There's jokes about lots of Dollar Generals in the South," I say to my sister when I see the discount chain's black and yellow sign. "Let's count how many we see before we get to Marilyn's house." My sister, two of her children, and I are taking a detour on the way to Florida and visiting our cousin's family. Our route leads us from Savannah to Camilla, more than two hundred miles on secondary roads through forest, farms, and small towns in rural Georgia. "There's a cotton field," my … [Read more...] about Pennsylvanians Drive Across Georgia, Counting Dollar Generals and Eating Boiled Peanuts