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It’s that time of year again, time for the Mahrajan, a festival hosted annually at Oglebay’s Site 1 by Our Lady of Lebanon Church. This year, the festival will take place on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015, beginning with a Maronite Catholic mass at 10:30, followed by food, music, games and various activities starting at noon and lasting throughout the afternoon.   I was at the church recently to go over some new procedures being implemented this year for the cashiers when I started flipping through the 2015 festival program.  My eyes went directly to my grandfather’s name in the Mahrajan Chairman’s Welcome and I immediately starting tearing up.  Although he has been gone from this earth nearly 25 years now, my grandfather is never far from my thoughts.  Some of my most cherished memories involve time spent with him in my grandparents’ kitchen helping him to make kibbee.  Although Our Lady of Lebanon is not my regular parish, I started helping at the Mahrajan shortly after I returned to Wheeling when I agreed to give one of my cousins a 15-minute “break” from his cashier duties and the rest is history.  I continue to help each year, however, in memory of my grandfather. In addition to advising that the proceeds of this year’s Mahrajan will assist in re-designing and improving the area adjacent to the church where a monument honoring the 11 Our Lady of Lebanon parishioners who gave their lives serving our country in World War II and the Korean War sits, the Chairman’s Welcome took time to recognize individual parishioners, including my grandfather, who served our armed forces in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam.  That the proceeds of the Mahrajan will go toward honoring and preserving the history of the church and its parishioners is not something new.  In fact, the Mahrajan was initiated in effort to re-build the church after it had been destroyed by fire and to commemorate what has become known as the Miracle of Our Lady of Lebanon Church. On Dec. 19, 1932, a fire gutted the then10-year-old church.  At the time of the fire, a life-sized portrait of Mary, the Blessed Mother, with the Cedars of Lebanon in the design’s background, hung in the church above a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon.  The oil painting survived both the fire and a 25-foot drop to the ground unscathed.  Many of the firefighters who battled the fire attested to the miraculous preservation of the portrait.  One of the firefighters recounted his own experience leveling the main pressure hose at the portrait and the water, with all of its velocity, being diverted from the picture.  After the fire, the Blessed Mother appeared simultaneously in a dream to both the bishop and the pastor of Our Lady of Lebanon with the message that the portrait be hung above the main alter of the re-built church.  To this day, the portrait of Our Lady of Lebanon that survived the Dec. 19, 1932 fire, hangs just above the church’s tabernacle. In the words of Pastor Monsignor Bakhos Chidiac in his welcoming message to this year’s 82 nd Mahrajan: “Our Mahrajan is not about raising funds rather it is about keeping the tradition of our ancestors alive.  It is about building memories of ‘togetherness’ in the hearts of the new generation as we hand the torch to them and ask them to keep its flame alive and burning strong through the future years.” As I flip through the 2015 Mahrajan program, it is obvious from the pages and pages of memorial tributes to deceased family members, that Monsignor Chidiac’s welcoming words have captured the essence of the modern day Mahrajan.  As I looked through the list of volunteers during my recent visit to the church office, I saw many names I recognized, including some that I did not realize had any affiliation with Our Lady of Lebanon before reading through the memorial tributes to family members in the program. As we keep the tradition of the Mahrajan alive, I invite you to join us on Sunday Aug. 9, 2015 at Site 1 for an afternoon of food, music and memories.  Admission is free with food and beverages available for purchase. I will be there throughout the day next to a couple of my cousins acting as cashiers at the main food line where traditional foods such as kibbe, tabouli, stuffed grape leaves and shish kebab are served.  My aunt will join us at for a time and my mom and some of my other cousins will be at various other booths during the course of the day.  For those who prefer more “American” food, you have options, including hot dogs and ice cream to name a few.  There will also be a table with incredible pastries for sale.  I hope to see you there as we celebrate our heritage and the family members who came before us.

As some of you who are reading know, our law firm, for the first time, has a suite at the Pittsburgh Pirates games. As a result, we have been entertaining some of our family and friends and hope to be able to entertain a number of others in the very near future. Having a suite means that I have been able to attend five or six Pirates games during the course of the year while watching most of the other games on television.  What a joy it’s been to finally, in the last couple of years, watch the Pittsburgh Pirates play the way that they have played.  Can you believe they recently won games against the league-leading St. Louis Cardinals two nights in a row? Probably the two most exciting regular season games that I have ever seen. It was great. I didn’t think that we could ever have much more excitement than the Saturday night game when Andrew McCutchen blasted a pitch over the center field wall only to be outdone by the three-run outburst in the 10 th inning of the Sunday night game. I certainly hope there’s more like the Sunday night game.  As I dictate this, Andrew McCutchen hit a home run in the All Star Game and it seems like the beat goes on.  So, congratulations to all of you long-suffering Pittsburgh Pirates fans.  Perhaps this is the year that the We Are Family song will be revived and the Pirates not only will head to their first World Series since 1979, but also bring home the trophy to Pittsburgh.

Dear Jenn, Currently you are 16 years old, without a care in the world. Well news flash, please start being a tad more responsible when it comes to…basically everything, because the real world is not anything like mom and dad’s house. There are a few things I want you to realize now, and they will make your life so much easier in years to come. First lesson to learn, please stop trying to be friends with that girl who is consistently being mean to you...she is not worth your time. You already know at this point in life who your real friends are and trust me, you will meet many more when you go to college. Also, that boy on the football team has more than one girlfriend. Be more than a sister to your sisters. Believe it or not, they love you and want the best for you. Consider them your friends, because soon they will be giving you the most wonderful gifts in payments of little children, who now call you their aunt. Soon, that short walk down the hall to see what they are up too will become a text that reads, “gotta call you later, busy at the moment.” Oh, and while we are on the subject of family, please go hug mom and dad right now for all the things they have done for you. You don’t get it right now, but that moment you walk across stage at college graduation you will understand. STOP driving so fast and pay attention to the road. That bright red 2001 Chevy Cavalier does not look good with a silver hood, and yes dad will make you drive it like that as a punishment. Also, go look in your best friend’s back seat for your iPod you got last Christmas, so you can stop lying to mom. LISTEN CAREFULLY and please take those college visits seriously. It’s not about the size of the dorm or who else is going there. And while we are talking about college, start doing your homework on time and get your grades up. Your best friend is still the same and you will end up going to college together. There are going to be a lot of tears, laughs and memories trust me. When it’s game point against Hudson for District Semi-Finals, PLEASE do everything in your power to keep the ball in-bounds and swing line (their setter is leaving early every time). The real world is coming and don’t worry you will fail a few times, but I would say it all turns out just right. Try to stay young forever, Jennifer

Our office dogs, Barley & Guinness, along with their caregiver Jeanne, would like to remind you that the dog days of summer are here (again). The outside temperatures are way too hot to leave your animals outdoors without access to cool water and shade. These hot days are not only hard on us humans, they are hard on our four-legged family members, too.   It’s unreal that, to this day, people don’t understand that heat stroke or heat exhaustion can happen not only to people, but to our beloved pets if they are out in the heat for an extended period of time during these hot summer days. No dog should be chained outside 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Bait dogs that people use for dog fighting are treated terribly. Unfortunately, they are often tied up with no human contact and stay out in all types of weather.  Dog fighting is not a “SPORT”, it is a form of animal abuse and we all need to bring these two situations to the attention of our local animal shelters or local authorities if we spot them. Help stop animal abuse. Leaving your pet in your car with the windows rolled up or down is also a big “NO- NO” during hot weather.  Being in a car that is sitting outside, even in the shade, can be a death trap to our pets.  Please leave them at home if you’re out and about this summer.  Five minutes can be a life or death situation to our beloved pets if they are left in a car during a heat wave. So as a gently reminder, please make sure that if your pets have to be outside that they have plenty of cool water, as well as a place that they can get to so they can be  out of direct sun and get cooled down. Most importantly, try to bring them inside as much as possible to help cool them off. The new Tennessee law allows good samaritans to save pets from hot cars by breaking a window if needed.  West Virginia also has laws to protect animals, but it doesn’t have the Good Samaritan Act in place at this time that allows for the breaking of a window to help a get dog out of hot car in the heat of the summer.  West Virginia Code §61-8-19 addresses cruelty to animals, penalties and exclusions We also remind you to spay and neuter your pets, and as always adopt, don’t shop. Please check with your local animal shelter to see what animals are up for adoption. It will amaze you to see all the purebred and mixed breeds that come into our local shelters. You can help save an animal’s life by adopting. Bark on Bordas Dog Nation, Bark on.

A favorite pastime of mine, when I have the time, is riding my Quarter Horse “Sky”. There are a lot of things many people don’t realize that are vital to safety with horses.  A lot of the things I now know, I recently learned by owning a horse after many, many years of not having one. I learned from the lady where I had my horse stabled. When I owned horses on our family farm growing up, my basic mentality was “put a saddle on it, put a bit in its mouth, kick it to make it go and choke it to make it stop!”  Pretty basic thought process.  Little did I know, there was so much more to know about horses.  All horses have different personalities, traits and characteristics.  Just like each and every human.  Some are calm and carefree and others can be high-strung and anxious.  Sky can be a huge combination of calm, carefree, high-strung and anxious!  So I have many challenges that are exciting with her.  But, if you know your horse’s mentality, you can achieve a terrific relationship. One of the most important pieces of knowledge you can gain is accepting and respecting the fact that ANY horse can overpower you.  Certain situations and circumstances can alter the mood and temperament of the animal.  There are steps to take in maintaining and assuring you aren’t out of control of this 1,500 pound animal!  But you also need to be aware of when it’s best to walk away and surrender for the day. After all, horses, like humans, get moody and have bad days. Safety is the number one key for me.  When I was younger, I had no fear that I’d ever get thrown or hurt by a horse.  When I was probably 14 years old and throughout my high school years, me and my best friend from high school would saddle up her uncle’s horse and ride double from sun up to sun down through woods, hills, creeks, rocks…virtually anywhere we could get the animal to go.  We never thought of situations that would or could put us in harm’s way.  Now that I’m older (and not so brave), I have a lot more respect and knowledge of how numerous things can trigger a horse’s mood. With that said, one area to help with safety while riding a horse is to make sure your horse is “desensitized”.  This basically means helping your horse understand that unexplained or unexpected noises, situations or objects will not hurt them.  My horse, for instance, is pretty well desensitized.  She doesn’t startle easily.  I work with her to maintain this, and any horse owner should continually work on this area with their horse.  She can be the sweetest, calmest horse and then boom - a door slams or there’s an object she sees that she’s not familiar with and everything can change in an instant.  However, because I work to keep her desensitized, I am rarely in that type of situation with her.  But, if I hadn’t worked with her, that peaceful moment could turn to pure chaos and potential harm.  Helping a horse understand that the unexpected or unusual don’t always pose a threat is vital for everyone’s safety. Desensitizing Sky is takes a lot of ground work in a round pen or arena (I am not riding her but rather standing in an area with her and asking her to do things while holding onto a lead rope attached to her halter).  One training tool I have used is a hoola hoop that has beads through it.  I would shake it over her neck, under her stomach, through her legs and bounced it on all parts of her body.  If she acts afraid or reacts in a frightened way, I look away from her, keep a firm grip on my lead rope and basically force her to realize the hoola hoop is not going to harm her.  It’s amazing how quickly she calms down and understands.  Another tool I use is a good ‘ole Walmart plastic bag and a stick. I tie the bag to the end of the stick and shake it like crazy around her!  If she goes crazy, I keep ahold of her, look away and continually shake that stick until she sees it’s not going to hurt her.  I have also placed tarps on the ground and walked her over them.  The first time I ever did this, she bucked and ran like she’d been shot!  But consistency is the key.  I picked up the tarp, threw it over her back, shook it around her legs and over her head until, again, she realized it wasn’t going to hurt her.  Eventually, she calmed down and walked right over it.  Then I jumped in the saddle and made her walk on the tarp while riding her. Besides various noises, horses can be alarmed by objects and unusual sites, so I also practice walking her through narrow doorways, from areas that are light into dark (and vice versa), across rocks, bridges and areas that have shadows.  My horse is particularly funny when she sees a shadow or a little puddle of water.  She’s very apprehensive at times to approach them.  But because I have worked to assure her that odd and abnormal things will not hurt her, with a little comfort, petting and calm vocal reassurances, she walks through them instead of freaking out and potentially throwing me or jumping and hurting herself. There are numerous other methods to desensitize a horse, and it’s very important to do so to ensure you and the horse are safe.  You never know when a dog is going to unexpectedly run up and bark, someone will start a lawn mower or a door will be slammed.  If your horse isn’t desensitized to noises and sights, they can rare, buck, lose their footing and you and the horse can be seriously injured.  Although a hoola hoop, Walmart bag and tarp make somewhat different noises and look differently, it helps my horse understand the various noises and objects she encounters will not hurt her.  If I take her on a trail ride through the woods and a deer steps on a stick, the cracking noise won’t startle her because she’s accustomed to these types of sounds.  I literally have ridden her along the road and had someone coming up from behind us in a vehicle blow their horn as they passed us (please don’t ever do this if you encounter someone on the road riding a horse!)  Because of my consistency in working on desensitizing her with anything I can imagine up, she may raise her head or tilt an ear, but she’s usually unaffected. If I neglect to use these tactics for desensitizing my horse on a regular basis, I am only putting myself and her at risk every time I take her for a ride.

I grew up in a town called Twinsburg, Ohio. Twinsburg is about 30 miles east of Cleveland and home to the largest gathering of twins in the world to date. Each year, on the first weekend of August, sets of multiples and their families from all over the world make Twinsburg their home for the weekend. Although the people who live in Twinsburg might find it a little annoying that it takes three times as long to get across town, it is an amazing sight to see. Twins Days is open to all multiples including identical, fraternal, triples and quads. This year marks the 40 th year that the festival has existed. Each year, both the attendance and sets of twins get larger. There are many activities to keep you busy during the festival. Some of these activities include the Royal Court Parade, talent show, golf outing, volleyball tournament and much more. This gathering is not only for fun and games, but research opportunities for those studying multiples are also a main goal of the festival. Some of these research projects come from Long Island University, West Virginia University, Penn State University and Syracuse University. I have been to the festival for as many years as I can remember. This is a sight that you will never be able to wrap your head around. Most sets of multiples will dress identical for the weekend, some sets of twins are married, and some even have more than two sets in a single family! The festival offers rides, games, carnival food, entertainment, fireworks and is an extremely unique experience to say the least. Come be a Twinsburg Tiger for the day and witness seeing double, or triple, for yourself. Visit www.Twinsdays.org for more information.

Last week, presidential candidate Donald Trump took issue with a description of Sen. John McCain as a “war hero”. Trump suggested that Sen. McCain, who was shot down over Hanoi and subsequently spent 5 ½ years of his life in a Vietnamese prison camp, was only being called a hero because he had been captured.  Trump noted that he preferred “people who weren’t captured”. Folks who know me well will tell you that I always do my best to see both sides of any argument before I decide where I am going to come down.  Experience has shown me that very few issues in life are as clear-cut as they may seem to be at first blush, so it’s important to make sure that all facts have been gathered and properly considered before passing judgment.  No matter how ridiculous an argument may seem, there is always a possibility that once you get past the initial impression, the argument may hold some merit.  With those thoughts in mind, I have spent more than a few minutes considering the comments made by Donald Trump.  I’ve thought, I’ve pondered, I’ve read and I’ve even Googled.  I’ve looked for any rational explanation for how it is that a man with enough business sense to accumulate billions of dollars in personal wealth could say something so offensive.  I’m still looking. Any person who has ever put on a uniform and sworn to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” deserves to be called a hero.  Our servicemen and women dedicate years of their lives to the defense of our country and its citizens.  They leave their homes, their friends and their families for months and sometimes years at a time, traveling thousands of miles to hostile foreign lands where they risk their lives every single day. They witness friends being killed by a sniper’s bullet, or dismembered by a roadside bomb.  They live every minute of every day with the knowledge that the next bullet or the next IED could be for them.  I can’t imagine the courage it takes to get up and function each day in the face of that sort of danger. In my mind, any person who makes personal sacrifice for the greater good is a hero.  There can be no greater sacrifice than that made by the members of our military and their families.  My Dad, who served in WWII was a hero.  So was my Uncle Junior, who earned a Purple Heart in that war.  So are George Lewis, Dave Ealy, B.B. Smith, Kevin Cecil, Jimmy Whorton, Jim Matthews, John Mercer, and every other man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of our great nation. We owe our veterans a debt that is far greater than we can ever repay.  We owe them our respect, our admiration, and our loyalty.  Donald Trump owes them more than that.  He owes them an apology.

Have you ever received a surprise announcement —like wear your pajamas all day today? Sounds good to me… Well, my youngest daughter gets to do certain things regularly at school or in her aftercare program. She gets so excited to have a special theme to look forward to and plans for it for days.  The evening after one of these particular days, she talks my ear off about the fun they had along the way and some of the things she saw. Then, I thought, what a fun idea…to randomly brighten up one’s day!  That’s how I happened upon the National Day Calendar. If you are ever looking for something fun to do to spruce up your week, you can always look up the National Day Calendar and then call upon your family, friends and co-workers to go all out in a celebration. This is really fun thing to do!  You can pick and choose once a week, once a month, just once in a while, or every day, if you like.  This gives you something that makes you smile and to look forward to something out of the norm. Each day of the year has one or more things designated as a National Day.  This calendar is a really fun tool for people of all ages.  I particularly love the ones designated to food. Well, guess what kids?  We are having a party and the guest of honor is the hamburger today!   It would be fun to let them take over in the kitchen and make the burger their own way while donning aprons, chef hats, and  pretending to be Chef Ramsay, or maybe not…how about Julia Child? There are days that the National Day is celebrating a certain someone, whether it be your child or spouse or the crossing guard at the school; how good it will feel to look forward to making that person have a special day of recognition when they least expect it and learn it was their designated day? Some days can require an activity of a sport, reading, or watching a movie together. There may be a day designated that requires a specific color of clothing, or hat day… or  a bring your teddy bear everywhere with you day. (So, when you see me come to work with one sitting on my desk, you’ll know what day it is!) Whatever day it is, it opens up conversations.  It brings closeness and a lot of fun memories. Bringing people together to participate in something silly can really make you bond, not just with those nearest and dearest to you, but sometimes you make new acquaintances that end up becoming really close friends just from sharing this one special certain day and a good ole belly laugh together. Lastly, how about creating your own calendar days?  Let everyone in your household have input.  Not only do they look forward to what they have chosen on certain days, but, they look forward to doing something outrageous in celebration of someone else’s day.  It almost can be a competition to come up with new ideas.  I mean, they always have to be bigger and better than the last,. Heck, that’s part of the fun!

I come from the small town of Cameron where, as a community, it is often a struggle to make improvements to structures or facilities within our small town due to limited funds or lack of personnel. Because we are so limited, we are very much a “hands-on” community.  By that I mean there are many people who are more than willing to pitch in and volunteer in order to make something happen.  One example of this is the restoration of our historic 75 year old Cameron Community Pool.  It is a unique, semi-circular shaped pool built in 1939, and placed on the National Historic Register.  In 2012, a group of concerned citizens formed The Friends of Cameron Pool Committee and began the process of restoring the community swimming pool, which had been closed for approximately five years.  It was a daunting task, but one that many people were more than willing to undertake.  Every weekend for almost a year, volunteers went to the pool to mow, weed eat, scrub, paint, etc.  A new roof was installed on the pool house and concession stand, the plumbing and piping systems were upgraded, concrete pads were poured, the electrical system was upgraded, and many, many hours of volunteer work were put in.  There were multiple fundraisers—spaghetti dinners, chicken roasts, musical events, t-shirts being sold, etc.  Letters were written soliciting donations from corporations, and the donations began pouring in.  People who grew up in Cameron and moved away heard of the project and sent donations.  What was originally quoted as an almost $400,000 restoration, which was not affordable for the city, was completed for approximately $70,000 and a lot of blood, sweat and tears from volunteers.  On Memorial Day weekend 2013, the pool celebrated its grand reopening. Another project currently underway in our little town is building a Veteran’s Memorial Park.  When I was growing up, a trip to Cameron meant seeing the old war cannon in the center of town.   I’m not really sure why, but the cannon was later moved to the lawn behind the bank.  Many people missed having it in the center of town, and a group of gentlemen from the American Legion are almost ready to put the old cannon back where it belongs---in the center of town next to the old train depot which, as you might have guessed, was also restored with the help of volunteers. If you see something within your community that needs improved upon—don’t complain—pitch in and lend a hand and be part of the solution and not part of the problem.  Volunteering for your community or for a cause near and dear to your heart can be a wonderful thing.

As I near the end of my third summer here at Bordas & Bordas, I still can't seem to find a completely accurate job description. I like to think I've done a little bit of everything from unpacking dishes to reading The Reptile.  I firmly believe, however, each experience and task will somehow help me in the future, like when I buy dishes for my own house and have to organize them. My summers of interning have been far from uneventful.  I remember my first day I was given the daunting task of learning names around the office, but not just a few of the names and faces, all of them!  Just when I thought I had that down, I discovered there was a whole building with more people next door!  That was my first challenge, and a challenge it was. My second challenge was learning the ins and outs of the scanner and copier (dun dun dunnn).  The only place that I have seen more mail and packages is probably the post office itself, but again, I truly believe that was a life skill. I couldn't be a successful businesswoman of a lawyer without. Last summer when I had mastered the copy machine, I was able to really learn how the process of a case works.  From the initial consultation, to filing a case and taking depositions, to being in the courtroom, that process was what really got me hooked.  I was amazed by the variety of cases that came through these doors and how quickly people were able to get help and closure. Geoff Brown, one of the firm’s partners, has given me opportunities far beyond the realm of work I intended.  He became a personal mentor advising me what he would do with certain types of cases and how he approaches research.  I remember being star struck when Mr. Brown would receive daily phone calls from so many world-renowned experts. Those days were the ones where I realized law was for me. One of the best memories of my times in the Bordas & Bordas office was a job completely unrelated to anything law.  Last summer during the week of Jamboree in the Hills, thousands upon thousands of keychain flashlights were handed out to Jambo-goers.  Unfortunately, when the keychain order was first received, each one was individually packaged. I, along with two fellow high school interns, spent the week unwrapping each keychain.  We were quick to discover that the plastic wrapping was better off cut rather than ripped, and about six or seven could be cut at a time.  The three of us and whomever else volunteered laughed the whole time in utter disbelief that we were spending hours upon hours opening the packages.  The office was a mountain range of plastic wrap.  Even though I'm not really sure what I learned from working with the keychains, that experience was just plain fun.  It was even more fun than the day I carried files to the basement if you can believe that. Looking back on my career at Bordas & Bordas, I never imagined that this experience would be the one guiding my college selection as I enter my senior year of high school.  I was interested in law and lucky enough to have been given this opportunity, but never really thought this is what I imagine myself doing for the rest of my life.  I'll keep my experiences here in mind as I progress through my senior year, college and law school.  Who knows, maybe someday I could be working here again, but next time, as a lawyer or partner.

Robert Mohney, my grandpa, is one of the most amazing men I have ever met. He’s one of those people who has truly done it all. In his life he has been a principal, a veteran, visited every president’s home, raised a child (my dad, Mark), scored a hole-in-one at a Florida golf course and has been married to his best friend for 61 years and counting. On February 14, 2015, the kindest soul I know was diagnosed with brain cancer. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, 70,000 people will be diagnosed with a brain tumor this year and 700,000 are living with a brain tumor in the United States. I never imagined that my grandpa would be part of this statistic. As far as I knew, he was completely healthy. He attended as many of my college basketball games as he could, made it to church every Sunday and golfed as often as he could. I want to say that this awful disease has not changed him, but sadly it has. However, he is still the heartwarming, funny and charming man I always have known. With my dad being an only child, the diagnosis has been extremely hard on my family. My grandpa was moved to a nursing home close to my parents and my grandmother. Although my grandfather was given seven months to live, he is still trying to live life to the fullest. He has many friends in his new housing arrangement and they adore his company. He is constantly keeping the staff laughing and has even given them each a nickname. While his mind is boggled at the moment, my grandpa’s memory is sharper than ever. He still remembers countless numbers of his childhood stories, birthdays, pets’ names and most importantly, his love for golf. My grandfather could have called it quits many months ago, but he chooses to keep smiling and reminding his family of the wonderful life he has given us. May is brain tumor awareness month, but I believe we always should be raising awareness of this disease that is becoming more common. Having my grandfather still with us is such blessing and I personally want to send prayers to all the other people affected by this disease. Never stop fighting.