America 250: Why it Matters to our Communities & Our Future

February 10, 2026

America 250: Why it Matters to our Communities & Our Future Once the calendar page turned from 2025 to 2026, the phrase America 250 suddenly seemed to be everywhere. It appeared in headlines, on social media, and in conversations among community leaders and organizers. Along our highways, billboards began popping up with patriotic slogans and bold designs celebrating this historic milestone. But why is 2026 such an important year? The answer is simple, yet profound. In 2026, our nation will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a moment that forever altered the course of history and gave birth to the United States of America. What an auspicious, once-in-a-generation event we are privileged to witness and celebrate. After all, it isn’t every day you get to party like it’s 1776! More importantly, it is a rare opportunity to pause amid our busy, fast-paced lives and reflect with gratitude on the freedoms we enjoy, and the extraordinary price that was paid to secure them. Learn More

A Fresh Year, Seen Through Faithful Eyes

January 13, 2026

This may seem like an unlikely pairing, but as I was thinking about the new year stretched out before us, fresh, unwritten, and full of possibility, my thoughts turned in an unexpected direction: to my two faithful companions, Finley and Murphy. Finley is my 10-year-old Labradoodle, and Murphy my 8-year-old Standard Poodle. They have been my constants in a life that has not always been so. While seasons change, calendars flip, and plans evolve, they have remained steady present, loyal, and always ready to greet a new day with enthusiasm. When you stop to think about it, our pets are wonderful examples of how to approach the new year. That’s what I find myself encouraging you to do as well: take a moment to look at the year ahead through your pet’s eyes. As we close out the past year, this season naturally invites reflection, on the good, the bad, and everything in between. Too often, we replay those memories with judgment, disappointment, or regret. We dwell on what we wish we had done differently or moments we wish we could undo. Pets, on the other hand, do none of that. They don’t carry yesterday’s mistakes into today. Each morning, they wake up with tails wagging, ready to begin again, grateful for the simplest joys, a warm bed, a kind word, a familiar hand reaching out for a scratch behind their ears. Learn More

Two Towns, One Christmas

January 13, 2026

This past weekend, I experienced one of the most magical Christmas adventures of my life, an adventure through two of the most Christmas-themed towns in Pennsylvania, and perhaps even the country. Our first stop was a town that proudly calls itself “the town that saved Christmas,” and after learning its story, I wholeheartedly agree. That town is Wellsboro. Before World War II, most Christmas ornaments came from Germany. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, a British blockade halted imports, cutting off an estimated 250 million ornaments needed to decorate American homes and businesses. At a time when the country was already reeling from the effects of war, even Christmas seemed at risk. Enter a small town in Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier, not far from the New York border. There, a Corning Glass Works factory, then producing light bulbs, rose to the occasion. Upon hearing of the ornament shortage, the factory retooled its machinery to mass-produce glass Christmas ornaments under the iconic brand name Shiny Brite. Christmas was saved. The factory ultimately produced millions of ornaments and, at one point, more than 90% of the world’s Christmas ornaments, earning the region the title “Glass Christmas Ornament Capital of the World.” I had always known Wellsboro as a Christmas mecca, famous for its glowing gas lampposts and month-long celebrations, but I hadn’t realized the historic reason behind its holiday significance. Learn More