The road of life & ‘The Hot Mess Express’
By Claire Mullen My first car was a 1991 Mazda 626. It had been my dad’s, a practical sedan he’d driven for years until the paint began to peel and […]

A wondrous cross, indeed
Family Matters, By Claire Mullen, April 2022 In years to come, when I reflect on the impact that COVID-19 had on all our lives, I hope that along with the […]

Good neighbors, great blessings
Family Matters, March 2022 By Claire Mullen Even though one of the Bible’s great commandments says, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” let’s face it: We’ve probably all had a neighbor […]
Family Matters, January 2022
Loving our libraries By Claire Mullen I’m only kidding when I occasionally tell my husband that I’d like my ashes to be sprinkled on the lawn of Cumberland County’s Headquarters […]
Making room for the little things
FAMILY MATTERS December 2021 BY CLAIRE MULLEN Baby Jesus is unequivocally the most important pint-sized wonder of the Christmas season, but there is a second diminutive creature sent to us […]
Family Matters, November 2021
Traditionally untraditional My family’s flexible Thanksgiving feast BY CLAIRE MULLEN When I look back on it, I think that a seed was planted several Thanksgivings ago when my baby brother […]

Family matters: A Homemade Halloween
By Claire Mullen It’s usually just about early August when my eagle-eyed, ever holiday-ready children notice that the spooky script, orange and black banner has officially been hung outside one […]

Family matters: What I remember from my teachers
By Claire Mullen This summer, my dad began a purging project of the storage spaces in his house. Until now, those spaces had brimmed with 35 years’ worth of his […]

A pair of unforgettable visitors
Editor’s note: CityView contributing columnist Claire Mullen wrote this refection in memory of Karen Gallimore Argo, who died Monday. Argo was a former youth director and longtime member of Haymount […]
Family Matters: Parking Lot Parables
By Claire Mullen There are two types of people in this world. And no, I’m not talking maskers and non-maskers vaxxers and anti-vaxxers, or even Hellmann’s versus Duke’s faithfuls. The […]