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Dear Annie: The emotional weight of letting items go

Columns

Dear Annie: I recently cleaned out my mother’s house after she moved into assisted living, and I thought the hardest part would be the boxes. I was wrong. The hardest part was realizing that every drawer held a memory, and every memory came with a decision. There were birthday cards she had saved from 1987, chipped coffee mugs from family vacations, old school projects, costume jewelry, recipes written in her handwriting and enough plastic containers to open a small deli. In the hall closet, I found my father’s old raincoat, still smelling faintly like him, even though he has been ...

Dear Annie: The guests who stole Christmas

Columns

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. When we met, we had both already lost our parents. During all our time together, my husband’s younger brother has spent Christmas at our home — even after we got married and he got married, after we moved out of state and had children (now 17 and 20), and after he and his wife had their child (10 years old). A few years ago, they decided to stay at an Airbnb for Christmas for several reasons, including visiting other family and friends in our mutual hometown. However, they spend a portion of every day of their ...

For the love of Lock Haven

Columns

Years ago, I remember floating down the Susquehanna river during an insufferable day of extreme heat in August of 1980. I was 20 years old then. In my wondering mind that day, and in the calm and tranquil quiet of floating by the shores of Lock Haven; it was an impressionable afternoon, a gratifying prospective! My pensive, sappy thoughts were of the scenic beauty, my friends and family, and the whole surrounding community of my upbringing. In the years that followed, I moved out of the Lock Haven community to seek my own heart, but I was drawn back to Lock Haven in the most recent ...

Applause, Applause

Columns

Each Saturday, The Express community newspaper highlights people, groups and activities our readers deem worthy of applause. The Wayne Township Recreational Committee would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all our sponsors that supported our Remembrance Walk and our first 5K Walk/Run to celebrate our country’s AMERICA250PA celebration. Remembrance Walk Sponsor and participants: Truck-Lite Community Committee, Army Sergeant Shaughn Braun, Jersey Shore Honor Guard, Pastor Laura Gilbert, Kim Verne, A Soldier’s Hand, Wayne Township Supervisors. Thanks to the following sponsors and ...

The Aesthetic Movement produced gorgeous pieces

Columns

“Art for art’s sake” was the rallying cry of the Aesthetic Movement. Born in the mid-1800s in Britain, the movement was a response to the Industrial Revolution and the perceived ugliness and loss of craftsmanship that was the price for increased production and convenience. There was ...

Thank you for loving my dad

Columns

To many others, my dad was the first person who greeted them. To many others, my dad was the person they went to for advice, both personal and professional. To many others, my dad was the person they went to for a pleasant chat. To many others, my dad was the person they went to for help. To me, my dad was the person I went to when the world was too confusing, when I had a question about life, when I needed comfort, when I needed help with a project or when I simply wanted a hug. To me, my dad was everything. My family and I have always known that my dad was an incredible man ...