Category Archives: family stories

Through the Eyes of Children

Posted on December 23, 2016 by maryannniemczura

Through the Eyes of Children Our son’s first grade class made several class field trips during our Fulbright year in Kösingen, Germany, home to Oscar Mayer.  It was not unusual for them to walk one mile or more while gathering … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas Traditions, customs in Germany, family love, family stories, Fulbright year, Germany, through the eyes of children, tracks | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Make Traditions with Family Stories

Posted on July 1, 2016 by maryannniemczura

After reconnecting with former Massachusetts cousins now scattered around the country and globe, I requested more family stories and photos since, once we moved to Colorado, we did not often visit with all the cousins and hear their stories. You … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Colorado, family stories, family tradition, July 4th, Massachusetts | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Posted on May 13, 2016 by maryannniemczura

In Massachusetts when we couldn’t go outside to play in Sturbridge because of the rain, our mother uttered “April showers bring May flowers.” There was always hope that the rains would cease, and sun would return to hasten flowers and … Continue reading →

Posted in April, family stories, flowers, May | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Childhood Freedom

Posted on March 14, 2015 by maryannniemczura

Recent media accounts of a couple in Maryland prompted me to write this week about the freedom and pleasure of childhood play. I was fortunate to start my early childhood years in rural Massachusetts in and around the Springfield, Palmer … Continue reading →

Posted in a stranger, childhood play, children, family, family stories, Fulbright Teacher, Germany, life lessons, life skills, Maryland parents, Massachusetts, Musings, Parents, rural America, school, schools in Germany, Sturbridge, Upstate New York | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How Learning German Changed My Life

Posted on March 7, 2015 by maryannniemczura

What do you consider most important in your life? Looking back, was there a single turning point in your life which made you who you are today? Probably, like most of us, life’s most eventful moments come in a series … Continue reading →

Posted in children, college education, customs in Germany, education, family, family stories, Foreign Language Learning, Free German University Study for American students, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, German culture, German language, Germany, global citizens, languages, life lessons, Parents, schools in Germany, Teacher, University of Colorado at Boulder, vocational education in Germany, world languages | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Heaven on Earth

Posted on January 10, 2015 by maryannniemczura

Winter is in full force here in Upstate New York, replete with wind chills, blowing and drifting snow and those beloved days to all school children called snow days. Even with bitter cold weather, children go sledding and make snowmen. … Continue reading →

Posted in children, family, family stories, life, Massachusetts, Nostalgia, rural America, Sturbridge, Upstate New York, Western Massachusetts, winter, winter activities | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Last Glimpses…

Posted on October 25, 2014 by maryannniemczura

The wind blows the last remnants of summer away. Most of the leaves have blown off the trees. They swirl about in doorways and in every nook and cranny. As I stepped outside this morning into the crisp air and … Continue reading →

Posted in About the book, Fall, family stories, friends, life lessons, Nostalgia | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering him today

Posted on October 18, 2014 by maryannniemczura

Today is the anniversary of my Dad’s death. He died Oct. 18, 1990 when I was a Fulbright teacher in Neresheim, Germany with our two young children along.  According to his wishes one month earlier in a phone conversation,  I … Continue reading →

Posted in faith, family, family stories, funeral Mass, Nostalgia, parents, People, Teaching in Germany | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Remembering her…

Posted on September 28, 2014 by maryannniemczura

We have a new nurse in our family which reminds me of my mother at about the same age as our daughter now is. My mother and her sister both went to nursing school in Boston and began nursing careers … Continue reading →

Posted in education, family stories, nursing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments