Freedom! Millions have died to obtain it or keep it. Without it, what do we have? I’m just asking. Do we have security from fear of retaliation? Do we have the warm feeling of belonging? Do we have a feeling of superiority? From what do we want to be free? And what is worth giving […]
The Ride Was Bumpy, But Fun
·Maybe it’s because a virus has caused so much turmoil everywhere, especially in schools, or maybe it’s because I’m growing older and tend to look back sometimes, but, lately I’ve been thinking about a little one-room school my brother and I attended in northern Oklahoma– wheat, alfalfa, and cattle country. The school’s name was Valley […]
A Tribute to Dad
Today is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate all the dads out there. Happy Father’s Day to my son, Matt Manos, who is a super father. Just ask his children. I think of my father every day but on this day, there is a particular vacancy, because Dad isn’t here and I can’t hear him sing […]
Decoration Day
·One by one, we abandon traditions, leaving the past behind. It’s sad, because, although we shouldn’t live in the past, we need a sense of continuity. There is something comforting about following patterns, about observing practices that have been carried down through generations. It gives me a connection to my ancestors. Decoration Day, always the […]
An Old-Time Easter
·The following story is an excerpt from The Heritage of Etta Bend. It’s a story my mother told me, an old-time Easter, about her childhood in northeast Oklahoma. The “I” is my mother, Susie Latty Day. I thought it was appropriate for this Easter, more than 100 years after it happened. Mom told me this […]