Stories

It’s no secret what the benefits of exercise are, especially as we age — improved heart and lungs, stronger muscles, weight loss. … In general, we’re healthier and happier, but most of us still find every excuse not to do it. We’re too busy. We’re too old. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. Well, lots of our neighbors in their 50s through 80s are leaping over those excuses. … [Read more...] about Fitness at Any Age, for a Lifetime: Local Athletes Who Redefine the Status Quo

Mount Pleasant has changed a lot in the past 80 years, from a population of 1,700 in 1940 to over 86,000 now. The memories of those who grew up here years ago are treasures to keep and share. The following memoir stories reveal a time when the Old Village was the “downtown,” there was no dentist nor a bank in town, vegetables were stored under the porch, everyone had four-digit … [Read more...] about Memories of Growing Up East of the Cooper

It all started with a simple request to a friend: the name of the girl in the pretty red-and-green holiday dress. The answer? “That’s Barbara Pierce.” They were just 16 and 17 years old at that 1941 Christmas dance at Greenwich Country Club, but, when Barbara Pierce caught the eye of one Poppy Bush, as George was known then, it was the first spark of a love story that later … [Read more...] about Signed, Sealed, Delivered — I’m Yours: Sending Love from Ashley Hall

It was a little after 4 a.m. For hours, sleep would not come. I desperately wanted to visualize heaven and connect it to the “Rainbow Bridge” poem. My mother had passed away the day before, and, six months earlier, my 4-year-old goldendoodle, Leo, died suddenly. The relationship between the two was unusual (to say the least) since my mother wasn’t fond of pets — of any kind. … [Read more...] about Heaven and the Rainbow Bridge