Mary Jo Shannon
Merger Of The Finn And The American
That’s what my new grandson-in-law, Tero Ronkainen, entitled the PowerPoint presentation he gave in lieu of a speech at the reaffirmation of his wedding vows in Richmond on August...
Change – The One Thing That Is Constant
Nature is rapidly reclaiming the area where our garden flourished only five years ago. Although...
Patience Is A Virtue
“Patience is a virtue; possess it if you can. Seldom found in woman; never found in...
Our Very Adventuresome Sarah
On August 17th our granddaughter, Sarah Davis will be married in Helsinki, Finland. Only her...
What Makes A Happy Birthday?
Husband Harry says birthdays do not mean that much to him. It’s just another day...
What Love Can Do…
The mutt lay motionless in our front yard, snow matted in his coarse brown hair, eyes half-closed and mucous running from both nostrils....
The Shannon Travel Misadventures
We can’t compete with the Griswolds on their way to Wally World, or the “Outsiders’” escapades in New York City, so I doubt...
Persistence and Passion Help Local Writer Win Honors At Hollins
Thirty years ago Elizabeth Matthews Jones began a journey that will be completed in May when she graduates, Magna Cum Laude, from Hollins University,...
Life with Mr. Fix- It
Our first trip to Europe occurred in 1983 when our son was studying law at the University of Munich. On the day of our...
Instilling the Love of Language and the Written Word
Staring at a blank sheet of paper reminds me of Dr. Mahler’s class, English 10, at Mary Baldwin College in the early ‘50s. When...
My Daughter’s Twenty-Five Dollar Wedding Dress
My fifteen-year-old daughter Kathy was exuberant. She had spent Sunday afternoon with her friend Jimmy, who walked her home in time for supper. I...