Archives in Category: Special Events

Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Fourth of July

Posted on July 4, 2005

Today is the two hundred twenty-ninth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That’s pretty amazing, and it’s gotten me to thinking how wonderful this holiday really is.

Not only is ours one of the oldest democracies

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Annual Celebration

Posted on July 3, 2005

It’s almost the Fourth of July, but our family always celebrates on the Third of July. We gather together, usually at Mark and Adaire’s cottage, not necessarily to honor the pending anniversary of our country’s independence but rather to acknowledge

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Kathy and Gary

Posted on June 22, 2005

My cousin Kathy and her husband Gary visited us last week. It was both a wonderful and revealing experience. By that I mean, I learned so much about them and – in the process – also learned about our extended

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Fiddler

Posted on April 11, 2005

Last night Earl and I attended a touring production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at the local auditorium. The original, starring Zero Mostel, debuted on Broadway over forty years ago and defied the current musical wisdom by addressing such issues

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Famous People Dying

Posted on April 8, 2005

Several famous people have died in the last seven days: Terri Schiavo, Pope John Paul II, Johnny Cochran, Prince Ranier, Saul Bellow. They came from different walks of life and their public personas impacted us in different ways. But now

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Mother

Posted on April 3, 2005

My Mother died nine years ago today; and, while I’m not one to be emotional about her passing, I always remember the day. It began with a call in the night, since I had left her home three days earlier

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Easter

Posted on March 27, 2005

It’s Easter Sunday; and, when I was a child, the day evoked a variety of emotions. Since I attended Catholic school, there was great emphasis on the religious importance of the day. In fact, we were taught that it was

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St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 17, 2005

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and I’m celebrating with my two sons in Fargo, North Dakota. I don’t know how many Irish men and women inhabit Fargo, but today there are a couple more than usual.

I’m half-Irish, which means my

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Acceptance Speech

Posted on February 27, 2005

After reading my recent mini-essays about tonight’s Academy Awards, my son said, “So what would you say if you won a Oscar?”

Well, I’m not about to spend the afternoon creating a well-honed speech that has no chance of ever

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Award Shows

Posted on February 23, 2005

My mini-essay yesterday about the Oscars has fueled further thought about award shows in general. For some reason, I’m addicted to watching them, even when I am not a devotee of the medium being honored. I don’t go to movies;

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