American Legacies Organization, Inc.

By Ruthann Held Wike

I have a quilt on my bed that my mother (bless her heart) pieced together, probably at least 50 if not 60 years ago, or longer. It is so special to me, not only because my mother, God rest her soul, pieced it together, but because of what it is made from.

A little background. My mother grew up during the Great Depression. The family didn’t have a lot of material things but they had lots of love and the important things in life, enough so they didn’t miss material things.

By Polly Mazariegos

Photograph of the Bielock farm in Holton, Michigan

written by Donna Sundblad as told by her mother Grace Stephenson

Before the war, Mom regularly trekked from Chicago to Holton, Michigan, to help on my grandparents farm. Grandma lost her first husband, Andrew Prickett, in May of 1922, when mom was young. Things were tough, and she worked odd jobs to hold her family together. She married Grandpa Mike (Bielock) while mom was still young.

Paul Harvey's Letter To His Grandchildren

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.

For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches.. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

Basketball: For Fun And Pain

By: Joe Mayfield

Almost everyone enjoys good athletic competition; it brings out the best in athletes, and enables families to share in whatever the sport may be. You’ll witness siblings or moms and dads cheering on a loved one, perhaps grandparents and neighbors too. As Americans were attracted to football, baseball, basketball, and let’s not forget track.

By Linda Clark

When I read your story in the Legacies titled Log Cabin and its Colorful Ancestors, it reminded me of my Aunt Dora and the summer I spent with her. I’ll call it, Doras Cabin in the Mountains.

by Lynn Ruth Miller

One cannot think well or move fast without a hearty breakfast. My Mother

In General

1. Never take a beer to an interview.

2. Always identify people in your yard before shooting them.

3. Its considered tacky to take a cooler to church.

4. If you have to vacuum the bed, its time to change the sheets.

5. Even if you are certain that you are included in the will, its rude to drive a U-Haul to the funeral.

Dining Out

Getty Images

What The World Was Like When Your Grandparents Were Born?

Independent since 1776, the United States of America is 243 years old. With the average life expectancy now hovering around 80 years, that means the entire history of the country—from powdered wigs to the Internet of Things—spans a little more than just three back-to-back modern human lifetimes. Historically, America is a young country.

Comments Made in the year 1957

• I’ll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it’s going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $20.00.

• “I’m afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying ‘damn’ in ‘Gone With The Wind,’ it seems every new movie has either ‘hell’ or ‘damn’ in it.”

• “Have you seen the new card coming out next year? It won’t be long before $5,000 will only buy a used one.”