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Mary Jo Shannon

Merger Of The Finn And The American

That’s what my new grandson-in-law, Tero Ronkainen, entitled the PowerPoint presentation he gave in lieu of a speech at the reaffirmation of his wedding vows in Richmond on August...

Change – The One Thing That Is Constant

Nature is rapidly reclaiming the area where our garden flourished only five years ago. Although...

Patience Is A Virtue

 “Patience is a virtue; possess it if you can. Seldom found in woman; never found in...

Our Very Adventuresome Sarah

On  August 17th our granddaughter, Sarah Davis will be married in Helsinki, Finland. Only her...

What Makes A Happy Birthday?

Husband Harry says birthdays do not mean that much to him. It’s just another day...

My Adventure With Rug Making

  Many years ago when our children were quite young I decided to make a braided rug. I had dabbled in many crafts –...

A Sweet Ending To A Wild Storm

 The Shannon household was more fortunate than many when the derecho pummeled the Roanoke Valley recently. We did not lose electric power, although...

God Is At Work!

 This fall, when the school year begins, three members of Raleigh court Presbyterian Church will be enrolled in theological seminaries and another will...

A High School Bluegrass Band: 1974-75

by Mary Jo Shannon Jim Parker, now living in Texas and a Patrick Henry classmate of my older son Harry, reads The Roanoke Star.com...

It Wasn’t A Male Thing, After All

by Mary Jo Shannon “Check out what Dean Davis is driving! A big black Ford truck! Is that cool, or what?” “Dean Davis” is my...

Go Now In Peace!

by Mary Jo Shannon After retiring, I spent much more time volunteering at church, and as the cliché goes, I benefitted more than those...