Articles written by Barbara A. Black - Page 3

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About me - Barbara A. Black

I am a 68-year-old homemaker, who is also a writer, a singer, an avid reader, and many other things. I have written poetry since the tenth grade, and taught English for a few years before deciding to try making a living in another field. I sold jewelry, I

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Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Sharing my favorite object: 1 of 7
I have many treasured objects that I would have trouble parting with. Among them are old pictures that were passed down to me from my mother, who received them from her mother. Also among them are my grandmother's wedding ring and my mother's first wedding ring, as well as the set that Daddy gave her after I was married to my... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: The gift of getting older: 1 of 7
Yes, I'm getting older. The alternative to doing so is one none of us really wants to contemplate happening to us! So I continue to grow older.When I was a child, my biggest dream was to someday have a husband, a home, and children. In that order. Back then, having a child before you had a husband just wasn't something "nice ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Family Values Family values: The importance of strong family bonds: 10 of 66
Strong family bonds are the secret to happy, well-balanced children and adults. When family is important to the adults in the family, it will become important to the children. And when family is not very important to the adults, it certainly won't be important to the children.In my family, the bonds went back in both my mothe... More..
Other 'The best things in life are free' defined: 11 of 71
If I were a cynic, I would laugh at the idea that anything in life is free. But I am NOT a cynic! Instead, I am very much an optimist, and I can say, unreservedly, that the truly best things in life are still free. That is not to say that some things that are not the best are not free, because some are. But that really isn't ... More..
Entertainment > Music (Other) Are great singers born with their talent?: 9 of 57
No, great singers are not born with their talent, any more than great artists or great writers are born with their talent. But they ARE born with the POTENTIAL to develop their inherent tendency into a talent that can make them great. However, if they do not develop that tendency, through lessons or trial-and-error or whateve... More..
Personal Finance > Retirement Should Social Security benefits be abolished?: 10 of 60
If Social Security benefits were abolished, especially if the government doesn't replace it with something better, it would cause a national disaster. Many old folks can't afford food and medicine, as it is; what do you think they would live on if Social Security was abolished?For instance, my husband and I are both now retir... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Best plants to grow in a garden: 3 of 18
Actually, almost everyone will have at least one plant in the garden that the other people they know won't have! For my ex and me, it was usually the Philippine eggplant. For my husband and me, it is probably the bird's-eye pepper. Regardless, the plants you grow in your own garden should be those you want to plant and/or eat... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Relationships with adult siblings: 2 of 12
With five brothers and one sister, I had plenty of siblings. As the next-to-youngest, and the second girl, I was also thought of as "one of the babies" for many years. For many years, I knew that my opinion on things didn't count for much, unless Daddy was the one asking for it. Mother would sometimes come and ask my opinion,... More..
Hobbies & Games > Hobbies & Games (Other) Jigsaw puzzles: Fun for the entire family: 1 of 6
I really don't remember the first time I helped put a jigsaw puzzle together. I think I was probably between six and ten years old, and it was the very first jigsaw puzzle I had ever seen. One of my older brothers, I think, was the one who brought it home, and I have no idea what the picture showed when we got it finished. Bu... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Are you a racist?: 16 of 92
My mother was a racist. My father was somewhat of a racist. I grew up hearing African-Americans being called by a six-letter, small n, word. My mother, especially, knew only two people of that race that she thought were really "people". I'm not sure what the rest were thought of, because I never heard them spoken of except in... More..