Journey

Sometimes, seasons are like book reports. You remember those. You get a book and read it before trying to summarize what's been written and what it meant to you. And like anything else, some of us jump off the cliff and get involved, while others just take shortcuts by leaping into CliffsNotes. The fact is, no matter if it's an everyday assignment or a sporting event, what we the players get out of any situation really depends on what we put into it. Maybe that's why the idea of “it's the journey, not the destination” is always standing in the background in many long-term events - like political campaigns, athletic seasons or anything else that becomes a slice of life.

She loves the outdoors and the feel of a warm breeze on her face. Music is a big part of her life and so are her friends at school. But while other 16-year-old girls are looking forward to driving, hanging out at the mall and going to formal dances, Karly Diller is confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk, talk or sit up on her own. She is spoon-fed pureed food and wears diapers. And almost every day she has seizures. It isn't the life Jeffrey and Karen Diller expected for their daughter.

"Arthritis: Don't Let Joint Pain Slow Your Journey," will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at Hagerstown Seventh-day Adventist Church, 11507 Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. The program will provide information on joint pain and simple home strategies for alleviating it. For more information, call 301-733-4411.

Draped in their red gowns, Benjamin Shuster and Edward Beachley took the podium together Friday morning - and got the full-house crowd laughing inside North Hagerstown High School's auditorium. The tandem, North High's Class of 2012 valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, went back and forth, alternating every few words in their opening remarks. “But no, we would not do that because that would be...,” Beachley said. “Very annoying,” Shuster quickly chimed in, prompting widespread laughter.

The Potomac Center welcomed the Push America/Journey of Hope Team of bicyclists Aug. 11. This was the 16th consecutive year that the center has provided overnight accommodations for the Northern Route team of cyclists. The center's volunteer association hosted a picnic for team members and those who live at the center. Following an overnight stay, the team completed the final leg of its journey to Washington, D.C. Push America (People Understanding the Severely Handicapped)

The Journey of Hope team of bicyclists made its annual stopover Aug. 10 at the Potomac Center on Marshall Street in Hagerstown. For the 17th consecutive year, the center has provided overnight accommodations for the North Team members as they make their way to Washington, D.C., their final destination. The 28 cyclists had a picnic dinner, and spent the evening visiting and socializing with residents and support staff at the center. The team left early the following morning to complete the last leg of its journey to raise awareness on behalf of people with disabilities.

HAGERSTOWN -- For retired pilot Frank Lamm, slipping behind the controls of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum's C-119 Flying Boxcar was a journey back in time. Decades ago, Lamm spent eight years flying C-119s for the Air Force and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. So when Lamm took the pilot's seat Thursday to begin the first leg of the 55-year-old plane's ferry flight home to Hagerstown, "it felt very familiar," the Gainesville, Va., pilot said. Despite the plane's age, Lamm said he had no apprehension about the trip.

Nearly everyone who knows me says, "You must write about your experience of being a mother of children with disabilities. " But it's not that simple. Even as I sit here now in front of the computer, emotions flood my mind and body. My hands quiver and my brain panics searching for the precise words to help communicate the enormity of it all. And yet, for some reason, I want you to know what it's like to have a child with a disability. Perhaps if you get a glimpse of what a disabled child means to a family, you can show respect and admiration toward a special needs family rather than pity and disregard.

Pen Mar United Brethren Church , Cascade, Journey of Grace will perform southern gospel music at 10:40 a.m. Sunday.

Filmmaker Victoria Barrett of Hedgesville, W.Va., was honored at a special screening on Jan. 26 of her documentary, "Journey of Faith - On the Trail of Christianity in Turkey," at the National Library Archives of Canada in Ottawa. Produced and hosted by Barrett, "Journey of Faith" has been airing on public TV across the country since its screening premiere in Martinsburg, W.Va., and broadcast premiere on West Virginia PBS. The screening in Canada was attended by more than 300 people.

In my experience as a professional fitness expert, I've found that my most successful clients have one thing in common: They were willing to get out of their comfort zone, and change their lifestyle to get the best results possible.    Fitness isn't something that you tie on, it is a way of life that extends beyond the gym. Working to change your body while trying to maintain the comforts of your current lifestyle is a lot like trying to...

I was riding my bicycle out in the middle of nowhere the way I always do, when a couple of Harley riders flagged me down. Bikers like to get off the beaten track, but generally not that far off the beaten track, so they were pretty sure they were hopelessly lost. They were trying to find a spot known as the Troubadour, which is maybe the region's last great honky-tonk still owned and operated by a member of the vanguard of country music artists who changed the genre following World War II. As it turned out, the Harley riders weren't lost at all - they had just given up a mile too soon.

Eighteen years ago today my first child was born. "It's a boy. I have a son!" my husband jubilantly exclaimed. Our lives have not been the same since. It is difficult to remember how we spent our time before we had children. Now that our son is preparing to head to college in the fall, I don't want to remember what it was like before he was born. Each step of this journey has brought new blessings to us. That first night in the hospital, it took us 30 minutes to change his diaper and dress him in a clean undershirt.

There's something to be said for not wasting a second chance. Christian Lopez of Martinsburg, W.Va., knows that all too well as he basked in the glory of making it to the next phase of “American Idol” during the infamous Hollywood Week, which aired Wednesday and Thursday nights. But Christian's journey ended this week when he was cut from the Thursday night elimination round. “I have absolutely no regrets,” Christian, 17, said during a telephone interview from his home.

Chances are that those presents under your Christmas tree traveled a long way to get there. And chances are, whether they came from a local retailer or were bought online, they passed through a “hub” and a distribution center at a shipping company such as FedEx or UPS or a sorting center at a local post office. The warehouses where these shippers operate tend to be busy places this time of the year with thousands of packages swiftly passing through the buildings en route to their destinations.

She loves the outdoors and the feel of a warm breeze on her face. Music is a big part of her life and so are her friends at school. But while other 16-year-old girls are looking forward to driving, hanging out at the mall and going to formal dances, Karly Diller is confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk, talk or sit up on her own. She is spoon-fed pureed food and wears diapers. And almost every day she has seizures. It isn't the life Jeffrey and Karen Diller expected for their daughter.

This is the 195th in a series of articles about the historical and architectural treasures of Washington County. Shrouded by vegetation, settled on a rise, Journey's End stands on over two acres of land among stately trees and elegant, understated gardens. Surrounded on three sides by The Terrace, Park and Forest streets in the North End of Hagerstown, it is protected by tall hedges and stone walls. The house is built of coursed stone, with a steeply pitched slate roof and copper gutters.

Pen Mar United Brethren Church , Cascade, Journey of Grace will perform southern gospel music at 10:40 a.m. Sunday.

“Such is the human race. Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.” Mark Twain's observation above depicts his dim view of the human race. Finding something noble within the human spirit can sometimes be a chore. However, I want to share a book with you that has a hero that we all can be most proud. The book is called “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand. It is a riveting book about the life of one Louis Zamperini.

We sports fans are a species of bottom-line thinkers. Everything comes down to two things: Winning and losing. We thump our chests and talk trash when our team wins. We get offensively defensive when our team loses. We are like a dog staring at a television set. We twist our heads and fixate on the images in front of us. Right now, it's because of football. And football fans may be the worst of the subspecies. They sit and scream at that TV, discuss and analyze every play, while trying to decide how a run up the middle will impact the season.