Jan's Columns
I’ve been writing a column nearly every month for my local newspaper for some 15 years. Several times I was recognized as the best opinion writer of the month and more than once have been called the paper’s “most popular non-staff writer” (I am not an employee of the paper.) It was this reaction from readers, in fact, that encouraged me to publish, From My Perspective, a collection of some of readers’ favorite pieces. It has been rewarding to learn that folks have enjoyed the little book and its ability to make them think, laugh, cry, and wonder.
Columns which generate the most reader response, I’ve found, are those having to do with relationships – with one another, our pets, the good earth. In 2006 when I wrote about the death of my dog and horses, letters, emails, cards, and calls poured in from readers literally across the country who understood the pain.
I had not moved through the grieving process from these losses when still more grief followed. So, for more than a year, I did little very little writing. The column which began on the home page is completed here, is the first since August of 2008.
If you would like to be added to my "Readers Group" please let me know. I send out an email when a column appears so that you can visit this website to read it and sometimes see associated photos. If you would like to share your opinion about something I’ve written – good, bad or indifferent – please write to me. We can always learn from one another.
| Barn Preservation Network Marks 15 Years, Hosts Tour and Workshops | February 21, 2010 |
| A Time to Heal | November 8, 2009 |
| Mourning the loss of two longtime friends | September, 2006 |
| Back roads offer chance to pursue hopes, dreams | June 26, 2005 |
| Shutting out the 'shoulds' | October 30, 2005 |