The Colors of Spring

The Colors of Spring By Ralphine Major It was only a couple of weeks ago that a small cluster of Easter flowers bloomed in the yard, their bright yellow color a distinct contrast to the barren ground below them.  Days later, a whole line of yellow blooms appeared...

A World of Knowledge

A World of Knowledge By Ralphine Major As far back as I can remember, they commanded a prominent place on the bookshelves in our home—a set of World Book Encyclopedias.  My brother and I were still in elementary school in the sixties when our parents bought...

The Gift of Time

The Gift of Time By Ralphine Major There never seems to be enough of it. Time. I have often thought that time plays tricks on our minds. One minute it seems like there is a world of time before the start of something; the next minute it has all but disappeared! We are...

Hope Spring is on the Doorstep

Hope Spring is on the Doorstep By Ralphine Major It was somewhat of a surprise as they seem to have appeared almost overnight.  For the first time this year, shoots of green and even a couple of bright yellow blooms could be spotted among winter’s barren earth.  In...

God’s Great Love

God’s Great Love By Ralphine Major It is often celebrated with cards and candy, special dinners, and red roses. The short month of February brings the much-anticipated Valentine’s Day holiday. Love. Songs and stories have been written about it; movies have been made...

‘Mr. D’

By Ralphine Major He was known as Tony D’Andrea, but students called him “Mr. D.”  In the early sixties, he became the band director at Gibbs, a small rural school in Corryton, Tennessee.  While D’Andrea taught band at the junior high and high school levels, he also...