When I was in grade school, I went out for pee wee football. As we lined up in rows and did our calisthenics before the start of practice — everything from jumping jacks to leg stretches to ab crunches — our coach would walk up and down each row offering a bit of wisdom, before... Continue Reading →
A few thoughts on writing
Several weeks ago, I wrote that when I was a young kid I started an Encouragement Box. I grabbed an old shoebox and started collecting old notes, photos, and comics that encouraged me and made me laugh at life's challenges. (If you're ever feeling down, Snoopy and the gang from Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes are... Continue Reading →
Saying the hell to conformity
I’ve never met Joon Park, a chaplain at Tampa General Hospital, but I feel like I know him well. Park, 41, was featured recently in a CNN article and has counseled thousands of dying patients and their families. In the article, Park explained that most of the regrets he sees from patients on Death's Door come... Continue Reading →
Making the most of my words
I was frustrated at work. I was frustrated at home. I wasn't writing much for myself and I felt like I had all this creativity inside of me and nowhere to run with it. My wife noticed the angst and suggested that I start my own blog. I kicked around the idea for a few... Continue Reading →
Dating my wife
I’m generally not one to run from milestone birthdays or special events. I’ve always loved celebrating my birthday. I couldn’t wait to turn 16 to drive and looked forward well in advance to turning 21 so that I could legally drink. When I passed the 30, 40, and 50 birthday marks, I waved goodbye to... Continue Reading →
Faithful friends
When my dad was in his early forties, he had a major heart attack that damaged much of his heart. He was lucky to survive the attack and he later needed a quadruple heart bypass. The surgeon took an artery from my father's leg and inserted it in his heart, creating a new path for... Continue Reading →
Mystery of life: My responses, Part II
It's always strange when the shoe gets turned on the other foot. I'm not sure this saying translates all over the world, but the idea is that you're negotiating with someone and something happens that reverses the situation, putting you in a tough spot. A few weeks ago, I posed a series of Mystery of... Continue Reading →
Kicking the bucket
I’m dying. It's a sobering thought. Oh, I’m not dying today, nor tomorrow, nor the next day, at least as far as I know. I have nothing specifically wrong with me and I don’t know the specific date when I'm passing onto the next life, but I'm still dying. I don't mean to diminish the health... Continue Reading →
Ten things that give me hope in July
In line with my series last month on hope and optimism, I’m going to occasionally list out things that I’ve come across that give me hope. I’m thinking of making it a regular feature. We’ll see. Anyway, here’s ten things that bring me hope this week: Image by Wolfgang by Pexels. —People watching. Oh, we’re... Continue Reading →

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