Ministering Sisters

            I am an American and enjoy studying colonial and revolutionary history. I lived in Great Britain for almost three years. We traveled it from top to bottom, side to side. We enjoyed the history, culture, castles, cathedrals, museums, people, beauty, holidays, and pomp. We named our daughter who was born there Elizabeth after the queen. One day we went to Epsom Downs because we knew Queen Elizabeth was coming to open the races. And there she was, right in front of us, about twenty feet away. You may not believe this but she looked right at me and waved! When I knew I had to leave England, I wrote a note informing my friends. A sentiment I wrote is applicable here: "I know why they call this place Great Britain. It truly is a great place to live."             I hope wherever you live there is beauty and culture and holiday traditions to enjoy.             One of our family's favorite holidays is the Fourth of July. In 1887, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a poem to

            “Everything has to come to an end, sometime,” said L. Frank Baum who wrote “The Wizard of Oz.” Mr. Baum’s famous story tells of Dorothy who is homesick for Kansas. He ends the story happily when, after many adventures, Dorothy wakes up in her own bed and says, “There’s no place like home.”             Some endings are predictable. When you start a book, you know it will have a last page. When you begin a movie, you know it will have a final scene. Some endings are gradual like the changing of seasons and the almost imperceptible reality that today you are a day older than yesterday.             “Everything has to come to an end, sometime,” including summer vacation. For some mothers of school-age children, the end of summer brings what could be called end-of-summer blues. These moms begin to feel gloomy as the fun and freedom of summer wind down. Summer is exhilarating for them. Other mothers feel end-of-summer blues because the fun and freedom of summer are exhausting. T