In The Clouds

LightGrams June 1, 2017 Volume 21, Number 19 By no means can I be called a frequent flyer.  On the occasions I’ve taken to the air for travel, I love sitting by the window.  I’m fascinated by the view above the clouds.  Things can look mighty different from up there! Is it still safe to…

Unrecognized Value

LightGrams May 25, 2017 Volume 21, Number 18 A story made headlines in March of this year when an independent prospector in Sierra Leone, Africa discovered a 706-carat diamond.  The young man was sifting through the mud and sediment in a river when he made the find.  It was presented to the president of Sierra…

A Sinking Feeling

LightGrams May 18, 2017 Volume 21, Number 17 I remember the feeling of walking on some of the beaches we’ve visited in the past.  The sand is usually loose and gives way under my feet as I walk.  The process of walking along the beach demands more exertion than I planned.  When we visited Daytona…

A Voice Still Speaking

LightGrams May 11, 2017 Volume 21, Number 16 The letter Melissa Fahy found in a gap under the stairs of her Westfield, New Jersey home was an old one.  Written by a woman named Virginia to her husband, a sailor in the Norwegian Navy, it was postmarked May 1945.  The letter was filled with love…

The River Runs Red

LightGrams April 27, 2017 Volume 21, Number 15 A miles-long section of the Scajaquada Creek took on a different appearance recently; very different.  Photos of the creek, near Lancaster, New York, prior to this past Tuesday show a creek like most others: clear, relaxing, and a spot for fly fishermen.  Since Tuesday, however, all that…

The Bomb In His House

LightGrams April 20, 2017 Volume 21, Number 14 When the owner of the gun shop in Hull, Massachusetts was offered the Civil War relic for $1,000, he saw it for what it was.  The 15-pound cannonball still had a fuse attached, so he said, “That looks live to me.  Out the door, please.”  He wanted…

Parents Behaving Badly

LightGrams April 13, 2017 Volume 21, Number 13 What could be more adorable than a community Easter Egg Hunt, especially when it is hosted by the local volunteer fire department?  Residents of Pottstown, Pennsylvania will have to imagine that scenario this year.  Officials with the fire department have announced that this year’s egg hunt has…

You’re Being Watched

LightGrams March 30, 2017 Volume 21, Number 12 There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about our privacy nowadays.  Technology has produced surveillance devices the average person might never notice.  Many private vehicles now sport dash cams, and cameras are mounted in numerous stores, city streets – even church buildings!  We are indeed being…

The GOAT

LightGrams March 23, 2017 Volume 21, Number 11 I remember the morning well, though it was a few years ago.  I had just opened the garage door to put something in the trash and I saw an animal walking up the slope in our back yard.  It took only a moment to identify it –…

Filled Out Your Brackets?

LightGrams March 16, 2017 Volume 21, Number 10 As I write this, you only have a couple of hours left to submit your brackets.  I’m referring (in case you didn’t know) to an activity that occupies the minds of millions of Americans at this time every year.  It’s called “March Madness” for a reason.  People…