Happiness is an Awesome Reading Vacation

July 16, 2021July 15, 2021 Lynette M Burrows

Readers read. That’s what we do–in the in-between moments of our lives that include things like earning wages, partners, children (two-legged and four-legged), homes, vehicles, and so on. I don’t know about you, but I never have enough time to read what I want to read. So I’ve been daydreaming and I’ve decided that happiness is an awesome reading vacation. What is an Awesome Reading Vacation? A reading vacation is a time (days, weeks) when you devour as many stories as you can. Make sure these are books and stories you want to read. Don’t bring the books you should or kind of want to read. You don’t have to go anywhere. A staycation can be wonderful. It might be fun to stay at a reader friend’s home. Go as rustic (tent) or as pampered (5-star hotel) as you wish and can afford. Take it one step further. Go to a reader’s paradise. A location that would thrill your reader’s heart. Would you walk the paths trod by a beloved author? Maybe you want to trace the steps of a favorite character? You can choose to read in beautiful libraries or impressive bookstores. There’s no wrong answer. Three on My […]

Women Whose Stripes are Red and White and Blue

July 5, 2021July 5, 2021 Lynette M Burrows

America celebrated the Fourth of July yesterday. Patriotism reigns. Often that patriotism is expressed by quoting great Americans—usually white males. There are voices that have been suppressed for many years. These quotes are from women whose stripes are red and white and blue. On Freedom Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation. Coretta Scott King, My Life with Martin Luther King Jr. I’d like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted other people to be also free. Rosa Parks On Patriot(ism) A patriot is not someone who condones the conduct of our country whatever it does. It is someone who fights every day for the ideals of the country, whatever it takes. Kamala Harris, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for all people on earth, universal brotherhood and good will, and a constant striving toward the principles and ideals on which this country was founded. Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Book of Common Sense Etiquette. On America The essence of America, that which really unites us, is […]

On Memorial Day Remember Women Who Made the Final Sacrifice

May 31, 2021May 30, 2021 Lynette M Burrows

The practice of honoring those who have fallen in battle dates back to ancient Greeks and Romans. This Memorial Day enjoy your holiday, but also take a moment to remember women who made the final sacrifice as well as all the men who’ve died in military service for our country. Continuing with this blog’s tradition of reporting on women of history, I remember women who made the final sacrifice while serving in one of the United States military services. I include links where lists of names or histories of individuals are available. The American Revolutionary War During the American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775-September 3, 1783) women often accompanied their husbands. They foraged food, cooked meals, mended uniforms, and tended the sick. We know women served on the front lines, too. They swabbed cannons with water and carried water for the soldiers to drink. Women also acted as spies. Stories about Margaret Corbin, and Deborah Sampson are available on this blog. Were some women who posed as men in the military killed during their service? Probably, but records are incomplete. The American Civil War According to battlefields.org, an accurate count of women who served in the Civil War (April 12, […]