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    Character Connection
    lbottoms0
    • May 12
    • 2 min

    Character Connection

    It used to be that learning cursive was a right of passage for third graders. The forming of script letters was taken very seriously. As...
    2 views0 comments
    Peaceful Protesting
    lbottoms0
    • Apr 19
    • 2 min

    Peaceful Protesting

    I recently drove by a small town courthouse located by the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. Two opposing groups were protesting. No one had...
    1 view0 comments
    Paladin (a champion of cause)
    lbottoms0
    • Mar 8
    • 2 min

    Paladin (a champion of cause)

    Professional gunfighter Paladin was a West Point graduate who, after the Civil War, settled into San Francisco's Hotel Carlton, where he...
    10 views1 comment
    The Inevitability of Conflict
    lbottoms0
    • Jan 29
    • 2 min

    The Inevitability of Conflict

    Conflict is inevitable. It is simply part of life. The question is not whether conflict will happen, but how do we handle conflict when...
    2 views0 comments
    Copy of Seeking Shoes
    lbottoms0
    • Dec 16, 2021
    • 2 min

    Copy of Seeking Shoes

    I recently attended a ladies’ event. The speaker talked about the importance of seeking things of eternal value. She specifically...
    1 view0 comments
    Seeking Shoes
    lbottoms0
    • Dec 16, 2021
    • 2 min

    Seeking Shoes

    I recently attended a ladies’ event. The speaker talked about the importance of seeking things of eternal value. She specifically...
    1 view0 comments
    Overhauling the Overall
    lbottoms0
    • Nov 12, 2021
    • 2 min

    Overhauling the Overall

    Pictured above: My mom, Ginny Carter, when she visited me in South Africa. First appearing in the U.S. in the 1700s and known as “slops,”...
    5 views0 comments
    Big Boy
    lbottoms0
    • Oct 8, 2021
    • 1 min

    Big Boy

    The term “big boy” can mean a lot of different things. The big boy was covered in Big Boy sunscreen while riding his Big Boy enjoying a...
    4 views0 comments
    Moonshine Jelly
    lbottoms0
    • Jul 8, 2021
    • 2 min

    Moonshine Jelly

    I have been making Vodka in my potato bin. I did not set out to be a moonshiner, it just happened. Maybe it is my Appalachian roots. I...
    5 views0 comments
    God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Aug 18, 2020
    • 2 min

    God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise

    My mom, who was raised in the Appalachian hills, often used the phrase, “God willing and the creek don’t rise.” As a young girl, I...
    28 views0 comments
    Needed Questions
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Jun 9, 2020
    • 2 min

    Needed Questions

    I recently read an internet article written by an American expat living in Germany. https://www.caliglobetrotter.com/15-questions-im-aske...
    15 views0 comments
    Problems With Passion
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • May 4, 2020
    • 1 min

    Problems With Passion

    Tonya Jewel Blessing www.tonyajewelblessing.com christonyablessing@gmail.com I just read an article by Peter Mead called 4 Problems with...
    4 views0 comments
    Ready to Woo
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Feb 12, 2020
    • 4 min

    Ready to Woo

    I found the picture above when I Googled Appalachian love stories. Because there was no story included, I decided to write my own. Ready...
    9 views0 comments
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Jan 24, 2020
    • 2 min

    Black Eyed Peas

    It is an Appalachian tradition to eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day. A mountain folk belief claims that the beans resemble a coin and...
    6 views0 comments
    Celebrate Lit
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Dec 13, 2019
    • 4 min

    Celebrate Lit

    I recently completed a virtual book tour with Celebrate Lit. Although I was a little intimidated by the process, the experience was...
    2 views0 comments
    Disgustingly Disgusted
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Oct 31, 2019
    • 2 min

    Disgustingly Disgusted

    On a recent lovely fall day, I decided to visit a Denver area Barnes & Nobel bookstore. The idea was to browse through the shelves, to...
    7 views0 comments
    The Arms of an Aunt
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Sep 11, 2019
    • 1 min

    The Arms of an Aunt

    One of my favorite things in life is being an aunt. I have four nephews and four nieces. I also consider myself an aunt to their spouses...
    18 views0 comments
    Big Purse or Little Purse?
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Jul 6, 2019
    • 1 min

    Big Purse or Little Purse?

    I like big purses. I always have. I somehow feel a need to carry diverse articles with me: random receipts, a collection of pens and...
    5 views0 comments
    Hosting A Literary Luncheon
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Mar 9, 2019
    • 2 min

    Hosting A Literary Luncheon

    To intentionally kill a honey bee brings bad luck. (Appalachian Folk Belief) Wouldn’t it be fun to host or attend a literary event? If I...
    5 views0 comments
    Lebola
    Tonya Jewel Blessing
    • Feb 7, 2019
    • 2 min

    Lebola

    Paying the bride price or lobola is a controversial issue in South Africa. Some believe that the tradition of paying the bride price...
    20 views0 comments
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