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  “I make lists to help me remember.” That was John Harding’s comment as I stopped to speak with him at Augustine Landing. I had read on their Facebook page that he was an author, so I was curious to chat with him. I was excited when he agreed to talk. My research on John included details from a description of him at a table in the Augustine Landing l ibrary. I learned that he has a master’s degree in economics from Montclair University, studied Linguistics and English as an undergraduate, and did doctoral work in historical studies at Drew University after retiring as a copy editor and writer . I went into the interview thinking I was going to learn about a career in journalism, but instead I got a lesson in etymology. John Harding has a vast knowledge of the origin of words. Every question I asked him referred to a word and its definition. Where did you grow up? I asked him “I don’t sound like it, but I grew up in New Jersey,” he said. “I don’t have that accent in my voice,”...

"Tell me a story. . . "

Welcome to the first From Paula’s Pen, Have I got a story for you?  I have been very fortunate to meet many people, and I have found that almost everyone I meet has a story.  That statement is almost redundant.  How could anyone not have a story? True, some are more interesting—and yet one never knows.  Perhaps you think your story is not good enough to be shared.  However, you don’t know the impact one person’s story can have on another. My dear friend and companion, Joe, is the best storyteller I know.  However, he always says, “They are not stories; they really happened.”  I think his South Carolina grandmother probably taught him “not to tell stories, "meaning don’t tell lies. Although this does not overjoy him, some of his “stories” will show up on this blog. In my almost 80 years of life, I’ve come across many people with stories to share.   My parents were both storytellers.  Well, actually, Daddy was the storyteller, and Mother w...