Positioned in between Mother’s and Father’s Days, you might have parents on the mind. As we hopefully reflect on the goodness our parents afforded us, we tend to marvel how they gave us so much love. If you were blessed to enjoy parents like mine, you may realize there was one constant throughout it all… View more
By Tom Konecny It’s easy for holidays to jump off the rails when marketers start controlling how and when we celebrate. We all know that come September, Christmas decorations will begin creeping in stores. Some might say that’s just the way of the world, others call it greed. But when you boil down holidays to… View more
By Tom Konecny Though Mother’s Day is celebrated in many nations around the world, it has very American beginnings. The modern Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908 thanks to Anna Jarvis and her mother, Ann, who often expressed desire for such a holiday. However, the day went in a direction Anna never really intended…. View more
By Tom Konecny Like most parents, I often played on the floor beside our son when he was very little. Without giving it much thought, I laid on my side and propped up my head. I found that position to be more comfortable than sitting. It kept my adult-sized legs out of our way and… View more
By Tom Konecny A loving family is the best way to help kids find happiness and security in their lives. The families America needs are ones who provide nurturing, support, unconditional love, faith, stability and mentorship. Enumeration like that may seem daunting, perhaps elusive. However, it’s really not difficult to attain. The problem is we… View more
By Tom Konecny On the ABC reality show, “The Bachelor,” a single man spends time with various women from among whom he is expected to choose a wife. During the show’s season – which lasts about two months – the bachelor eliminates candidates, culminating with his selection of a winner and ideally, a marriage proposal…. View more
By Tom Konecny Fred Rogers died almost 16 years ago, yet he seems to have never left our American psyche. Less than a year after Rogers passed, PBS TV aired a special on his life’s work. A few years later, a former neighbor directed a documentary, “Mister Rogers & Me.” In subsequent years, buildings and… View more
By Tom Konecny Here in America it’s easy to appreciate a capitalistic society. It’s long been the American Dream that every U.S. citizen should achieve success and prosperity through hard work and initiative. Having an economic system whereby trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state, is consistent… View more
By Tom Konecny Memorial Day. Independence Day. Labor Day. Veterans Day. America has plenty of holidays that are all our own. They speak to our culture, our nation and are celebrated only here. Thanksgiving is another of those with a slight twist – other nations commemorate a Thanksgiving holiday at a different time of the… View more
By Tom Konecny, MeetAmerica It wasn’t like John Francis set out to create a holiday, but he did. What started out as a humble garage party morphed into a day that dads can now call their own. What’s that? You thought dads already had a day in June? That’s only partially true. Dads get honored… View more
By Tom Konecny, MeetAmerica Stop and think of the most comforting place in your life. It’s that place where you feel secure, at peace and relaxed. Chances are it’s your home. Let’s narrow that down even more: within your home, what’s the safest and most soothing spot you can imagine? For most of us, that… View more
