Life is like a collage. Its individual pieces are arranged to create harmony. Appreciate the artwork of your life.
Amy Leigh Mercree, Author

My mother is a book reader, and her mother was as well. They each had stacks of books lying around. Now, I do. When I was in elementary school, I can remember volunteering on Saturdays at the library with my mom. We lived on Riley Street in Plattsburg. At the time, the town library was a volunteer-run classroom in the high school, just a short walk from our house. The woman for which it was named, I believe, was Martha Luckenbill, but I bet a Leader Reader remembers. I would

I got a new pin to attach to my bag the other day. It says, “Museum Nerd”. My family will tell you this is me to a “T”. I have always loved to view art and history and share my enthusiasm with others. We have been blessed to visit many museums of all types across the United States over the years. A few of my favorites - the Barnes Foundation Collection in Philadelphia, the Combat Air Museum in Topeka, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In honor of Black History Month, The Kansas City

The holidays are full of ‘cheer’. We wrap the presents, sing the carol, bake the cookies. The seasonal movies make us laugh and the gatherings bring us the needed blessing of time together. I love it. But sometimes all the holly-jolly is a bit too much. I am not bathed in green and putting antlers on my dog, while planning to steal your Christmas tree. Admittedly though, I am tired and sometimes gloomy. You see the Pinterest perfect pictures on social media and cannot help b

In this season of thankfulness, I’d like to share a perspective on emergency responders – police, fire and ambulance. First, we should be thankful for their sacrifice every day. They work the holidays, rush into our scary situations and are always there protecting us when we don’t even know it. Whether you meet them on a good day or a bad one, they deserve your kindness. On separate occasions (and in counties other than Clinton), my husband Trevor and I both had an uncle ex