The holidays have a special meaning to all of us. It could be the sights and sounds of the children sled riding down the hill behind the farm house or the late nights making holiday treats in the kitchen. Or it could be the traditions we have in our families that we celebrate every year. [...]
Honorable mention: Sharon Sweda, Huron, Ohio Jacob slumped as Katherine cleared the table around him. Sensing he’d skip choir rehearsal, she chose to pray, rather than argue. The foreclosure notice had changed everything at the farm and Jacob became more withdrawn as the deadline approached. “Where’s Jacob?” Pastor Thomas inquired. Rumors circulated that Jacob was [...]
Winner: Alejandro Villalva, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army Reserve, 42, San Antonio, TX Richard sat silently, transfixed, his entire attention riveted to the photo that he found in the illustrated book of the Vietnam War which his grandson had just given him as a Christmas gift. The photo was a hauntingly brutal depiction of young [...]
Third place: Maryann Lepovsky, 65, of Lucinda, Pa. All the lights were out in town except for the bright orange Rexall sign on the corner drugstore. The soft snow as falling onto the frozen ground covering the grass and trees with a layer of fine angel hair. The date was Dec. 23, 1966. The peace [...]
Second place: Mark Llewellyn, of New Castle, Pa. Doreen’s eyes, glassy in this state of reverie, wandered from one hand to the other. Arthritis found refuge in the aging joints long ago, and her knobby knuckles were testament to a life rife with farm work and household chores. Once the farm had been dutifully handed [...]
The holidays have a special meaning to all of us. It could be the sights and sounds of the children sled riding down the hill behind the farm house or the late nights making holiday treats in the kitchen. Or it could be the traditions we have in our families that we celebrate every year. [...]
By Marie Walker Leetonia, Ohio Honorable mention Tears flowed from my eyes while I hung the little red and white stuffed elf. It was Carol’s favorite Christmas ornament. My 18-year-old daughter had joined the military service. It would be the first Christmas without her. Carol’s letters arrived from the boot camp and I understood that [...]
By Sharon Sweda Huron, Ohio Honorable Mention “Doggone it!” Janet hears Henry’s familiar bellow. She knows, without looking or hearing the stomp of his boots, that in an instant, he and his flannel jacket will race out the door of their 1940’s bungalow. She also knows where he is going. It is five days before [...]
By Jennifer Bryan Paris, Ohio Honorable Mention The frosty morning air stung my nose as I stepped out the door of our farmhouse. My parents’ boot prints in the fresh snow marked their earlier trek to the barn. I could hear the drone of the milk pump and the calves bawling for their breakfast. Cows [...]
By M. Merlin Acker Wooster, Ohio Honorable Mention Farmer Jim awoke early one bright spring morning, traveling to the steep eastern slope on his farm overlooking a small village. One by one he placed small pine trees in the soil. As the saplings embraced the sunlight and inhaled a few breaths of the crisp air, [...]
