Posts by Janet Ann Collins

This is a poem I wrote years ago and just found in my files: The familiar odor of strawIn the feed boxWhere I layGave meager comfortThrough that lengthy nightOf labor.Waiting to beholdThe joy within me grown,I feared I would be dazzled by His light.Such painful entry to a pain filled world.At last I saw my…

Once, while at a friend’s yard, my neighbor kids and I discovered a door under their front steps that opened to a tiny area. Inside there was no floor and only a single shelf.On that shelf was a big jar, that had probably held about five gallons. It still contained some liquid and a gigantic…

Anyone who knows me has probably heard me say this before.Money is a strange thing.You can’t eat it, cook with it, build houses out of it, or wear it.Even in America the gold standard no longer works since the government doesn’t have nearly as much gold as the currency implies.The only reason money has value…

Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving, and I hope we all have a lot to be thankful for. Usually by this time of year I’m saying to myself, “I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone by.” Instead, this year I’m saying, “I can’t believe how long this year has been.” It has certainly been a…

We live in difficult times, but things could be a lot worse.For example, when I was a kid my grandfather, who had been born in the 1800s, lived with us.One day I told him sadly, “I think you love my brother more than me.”He replied, “Of course I do. He’s a boy and you’re only…

Barbara Bockman has written an exciting book for kids about an intriguing mystery. The two main characters, James and Thomas, come from very different backgrounds and hostile family relationships, but the mystery can only be solved if they work together. This is the kind of story kids, especially boys, will love.

When I was a kid people often asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. From the time my newborn brother was brought home and I got to hold him I knew I wanted to be a mommy when I grew up. I learned to read well by second grade (that’s another…