On a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, I realized I had been operating with a very shallow understanding of the 16th president of the United States and the times in which he led. Because Lincoln holds mythical status in our culture, I had never bothered to learn more [...]
The day was hot, the sun scorching, and throughout my weeklong trip to Israel, I had been reminded that I typically handle blazing heat with the same grace and poise my Northern European ancestors would have. In other words, I was dripping sweat and praying for shade. The walk down the Mount of Olives, while [...]
I recently enjoyed the book The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and learned something new about world and Christian history. I didn’t know that the Christian church in Japan dates back at least to 1549 and some believe it may go back much farther, to 400 AD. In the 1600s, a period of intense [...]
This year, I will “celebrate” what’s commonly referred to as a milestone birthday. Not just any milestone, this is of the “downhill from here” variety. Contrary to what many younger people might believe, getting older has some serious benefits, like the kind of wisdom, experience, and confidence I craved 10 years ago and finally see [...]
On a visit to the St. Louis Gateway Arch a couple of years ago, I bought a copy of a book I couldn’t help noticing in the gift shop: The Good Old Days—They Were Terrible! This book, written by Otto L. Bettmann and published in 1974, contains photographs and written descriptions of life in the [...]
© 2012 Amy Simpson.