Creating connections through the arts and across cultures

Archive for August, 2011

Part 2: “Sometimes It Pays to Be Generous,” by Erwin A. Thompson

Read Part 1 of “Sometimes It Pays to Be Generous,” by my father Erwin A. Thompson. Another prime example of generosity paying off is my relationship with the men from the water company. Our work often overlapped. Sometimes when we dug a hole for a gas leak we found a water leak, also. And vice [...]

(Pop on Monday) Part 1: “Sometimes It Pays to Be Generous,” by Erwin A. Thompson

This is the first of a two-part article by my father Erwin A. Thompson on the theme of generosity. Read Part 2 of “Sometimes It Pays to Be Generous” on Riehlife. –Janet *** *** *** Sometimes it pays to be generous. (And as a personal reward, it is a pleasant way to live) I have [...]

“Why Jelly Donuts Make Me Smile,” by Janean Baird

Janean Baird, my niece, is the oldest child of my brother Gary Thompson and his wife Patty. She’s an artist, writer, and a younger woman of wisdom. You can read more of her work at her blog Turquoise Tangles. Here’s a funny family story about my older sister Julia. This is the first time I’m [...]

People die. Memories Don’t. Pausing to remember the 7th anniversary of my sister’s death.

My sister–Julia Ann Thompson–died on August 16, 2004 in a nasty car accidernt. She was younger than I am now…even though until her death she was always six years older. That’s one of the hardest things for me to get used to. That I could now be older than my older sister. So, doing the [...]

Why Susan Tweit reads Riehlife

Looking back at my drafts from the past, I found these encouraging comments from Susan Tweit, noted author, blogger, and friend. We met through Women Writing the West and Story Circle Network. Susan Tweit writes: Riehlife nurtures connections. I think of Riehlife as a tapestry woven of the many voices you meet and hear and [...]

“On time, by God! Nine O’clock Sunday School” by Erwin A. Thompson

Another tale from the Riehlife series: Pop on Mondays. –Janet “On time, by God! Nine O’clock Sunday School” by Erwin A. Thompson I was born in 1915. When I was seven years old, we started going to the Melville Congregational Church. The “we” being my Uncle George Gibbens, his wife, Emma Riehl Gibbens, and myself. [...]