The gift shop shelves heaved with books covered by grainy photos of children huddled around coal driven steam engines. Dressed in turn of the century clothes, some ragamuffins carried grief like luggage, but others appeared wide-eyed with adventure. “Orphan trains,” my brother explained. “Those children were adopted here in the St. Cloud, Minnesota area. They […]
“When a child of the streets stands before you in rags, with a tear-stained face, you cannot easily forget him. And yet, you are perplexed what to do. The human soul is difficult to interfere with. You hesitate how far you should go.” -Charles Loring Brace Ever felt invisible? The waifs on the streets […]
“Being a quilter in the business of giving away quilts means that you give away some quilts that you really, really love and would like to keep yourself.” -Lori M, Quilts of Compassion Long arm quilter Lori M and Quilts of Compassion A nation watched as North Carolina braced for massive Hurricane Florence to swell […]
Who grows up wanting to be a soil surveyor? What is a soil surveyor, anyway? Hugh Bennett, that’s who. A man who classifies soil types and decides the vegetation and land use patterns for certain areas of land. The exact person needed during the 1930’s in the Great Plains as topsoil blew away by the […]
I grew up knowing about Hoovervilles because my mother made a point of telling me about them. My mother and father were married in 1930. They moved to the Great Plains where my father dug irrigation ditches and spud cellars with a dragline. A wooden trailer that hitched behind their truck became their moveable home. […]
A hero? Not by any veteran’s defintion of the word. Like most veterans, Air Force Captain Earl Morse would say, “The heroes never came home.” But to 40,000 WWII veterans and their families, Eral Morse, president and founder of Honor Flight Network, deserves the title. When the World War II memorial was dedicated in May, […]
Hobos. Not bums. Not tramps. Hobos. A 17-year-old kid like Gene Wadsworth who caught his first freight train on a winter’s night in 1932. The pain of being orphaned at age 11 followed him to his uncle’s house in Idaho where five other children needed feeding. Like many of the two million plus hobos, Gene […]
The dreaded book report. The bane of every high school student’s life. But it does not have to be so difficult with just a bit of structure and guidance. Book Report Insights will open three historical fiction novels to the hearts and minds of teen readers. With an overview of the book, a highlight […]
Riding the Rails to Home: A Newsie Rides the Orphan Train Stephen Reily finds relief from living on the streets. He gets a job as a newsie, selling newspapers during the day and living at the Newsboys’ Boarding House. Sleeping on a cot, eating a hot meal, and attending classes at night help Stephen to […]
Forty years in Africa as missionaries provided Henry Morrison and his wife with many memories of Africans turning their lives to Christianity. Each day had brought joy, sorrow, pain, and wonder. Because of poor health, the mission board brought Henry and his wife back to the United States for retirement as teachers and encouragers for […]