From the time they were big enough to make their own beds, my girls always had rooms of their own. more

As popular as it is to complain about Hollywood’s lazy reliance on reboots, re-imaginings, spinoffs, and legacy sequels to older properties, all evidence suggests that “Rocky” continuation “Creed” has worked out for the best. more

What would some of us do without worry? In Matthew 6:27, Jesus asked, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Worry has no positive side effects. It subtracts moments from your life in heart stress and rising blood pressure. You can’t be happy if you worry. Quit worrying! You can’t be the person God wants you to be if you worry. more

Fear Not… more

A lot of the reviews I’ve seen for “Cocaine Bear” contain some variation on the line, “This movie delivers exactly what it promises.” I’m going to say that’s not entirely true. To be sure, there is a bear high on cocaine in this movie. Nobody is going to say that this movie delivers less than what it promises. more

As a little kid, I loved the book “The Little Engine That Could.” It was published in the 1930s, and it’s a story about the power of positive thinking. The star of the book – a little blue train engine – realizes that when he “thinks he can,” he chugs up the big hill and saves the day. more

According to my Missouri Department of Conservation’s Natural Events Calendar, Monday, March 20 is the first day of spring, and it seems that most of us think we are ready for it! I’m not a big fan of the severe weather that often comes with it, but there sure are a lot of great things about this upcoming season. more

March 1, here at last — again. more

I suppose it’s appropriate that movies starring Ant-Man aka Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) have always been rather “small” in the scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. more

Last week, we got a text from my son Jack, who’s away at college for his freshman year. He sent it to our family’s group text which includes his older brother (also away at college), his younger sister (who’s in high school), and Tom and me. more

Today, Feb. 22, we celebrate the birth in 1732 of our nation’s first president, Gen. George Washington, commander of the victorious Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, president of the constitutional convention of 1787 and the man we honor as the father of our country. more

If you want to see a great example of citizen-driven conservation success, look no further than the nearest bluebird box. more

I never truly appreciated as a boy the gift of living in the country. more

This past weekend featured a weird toss-up between two new releases at the domestic box office. Horror thriller "Knock at the Cabin" made slightly more money, with an estimated $14.1 million to its opponent's $12.5 million, but football comedy "80 for Brady" sold... more

My husband Tom once accused me of being unromantic. As much as I hate to admit it, I think he might be right. more

What if we didn't try so hard to look like we've got it all together? Comparison would be far less alluring and our impression of people far less skewed. Pretending to be perfect ministers to no one. … more

Community Connections would like to thank the Bolivar Community for recognizing the importance of parents in our community. We have fantastic partners who work hard every day to support families. A special thanks to Berean Baptist Church, Open Hearts Methodist Church, Woods Supermarket, Polk County Library, Thrive Ministries and Community Outreach Ministries for their participation in celebrating Parental Resilience Day 2023. more

Using drugs and alcohol will not take away your problems and fears. In the short run, they might make you feel better, but in the long run these addictions will only make things worse. more

While this can't necessarily be verified completely, the story or legend of St. Valentine seems meant to observe his effort of honoring marriages in part by marrying couples even at the defiance of the Roman Emperor of that era. In his memory, over time Valentine's Day became a convenient way to observe the loving devotion that couples have for one another, and a great opportunity to honor marriage. Now several hundreds of years later we are celebrating National Marriage week on February 7 through February 14. more

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? more

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. more

Who doesn’t love their fur babies? Nevermind, don’t tell me. It is fortunate that most people do care for and about their 4-legged friends. I am hoping that care goes beyond their own little (or large) fur buddies and can extend to help some that haven’t had the chance to find their forever homes yet. more

Everybody deals with stress and anxiety, however the key is to know what to do when your stressed out. It is not always easy to keep your feelings from getting the best of you. more

Each winter, much is written in Missouri about one of the state’s most eye-catching avian winter visitors – the bald eagle. It is well-deserved publicity: In addition to their patriotic symbolism, bald eagles have a number of traits that makes seeing one a memorable experience. more

My dad taught me just about everything I ever needed to know about fishing, from starting me early with a riverbank sapling and length of fishing line to teaching me the finesse of handling his classic bamboo fly rod. Under Dad’s diligent tutelage I grew up an avid fisherman. more