She was born on June 2, 1731, the oldest daughter of a wealthy landowner and his wife living on a plantation in a British colony in Chest Nut Grove, Virginia. Both of her parents were descended from prominent New England families. Martha was known as quite the adventurer from her earliest years, once riding her horse up the stairs of her uncle’s home! She was

Sydney was born to a physician and his wife in 1862 in North Carolina. Three years later his mother died of pneumonia, leaving him and his brother to be raised by an aunt and their paternal grandmother. Although young Sydney loved to read, he left school at fifteen to make his own way, working as a drugstore clerk and a Texas ranch hand before taking

She was born into a middle class family on May 25, 1939 in McLemoresville, Tennessee. Her father owned and ran several small retail stores. By the age of four she declared her intentions to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City but three years later, a poorly performed tonsillectomy damaged her vocal cords and the threatened the dream. The self-confident little belle merely

He was born in South Louisiana in 1964. As a young boy growing up in New Orleans, Will was a promising young baseball player who showed an abundance of natural talent and harbored a dream of playing in the Majors. When he was fourteen a selection was held among his All Star team for the players that would represent New Orleans in the World Series.

His autobiography reads, “I was born virtually blind and into poverty, abandoned by my mother, and placed in the custody of strangers by the age of six.” That day at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina, the little boy whose mother thought his blindness was a curse from God, lay on a small mat in a strange place and cried

Today’s thoughts come from a writing exercise called Where I’m From. You can use this template to create your own unique biography. (And if you do, please, I'd love it if you would share!) Where I’m From I am from gumbo thick farming ground running alongside the Mississippi River, from Pixi Stix Candy Straws and wild blackberries. I am from a matchbox house on a dirt road

Few people will recognize his given name. Hillary was born on the 6th of November, 1926 in Alabama, although he spent most of his young life in Yazoo, MS where his family relocated. When Hillary was six years old his father and his youngest sister died within weeks of each other, leaving his mother to raise Hillary and his ten siblings alone. His

The authorship of today’s fable has been the subject of much debate although Aesop is most often credited. Regardless, it holds a clear and endearing message. I hope you enjoy Androcles and The Lion. A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At

Lately, we’ve been looking at some older stories and fables that are seldom heard anymore. I hope you’re enjoying hearing them half as much as I’m enjoying telling them. Today’s story is another of Aesop’s fables and it holds a timeless message. It’s called: A Man, A Boy, and a Donkey A man and his son were once going with their donkey to market. As they