It's that time of year. Local high school kids are celebrating their graduations. Every time I look on social media the past week or so I keep coming across graduation pictures. There's one of a mom and dad and the man or woman of the hour. Gotta get one in there too of grandma or... Continue Reading →
Who’s got your back on Difficult Days?
There's an often told A.A. Milne story about Winnie the Pooh having a tough day. Piglet asks if he wants to talk about it and Pooh says that he doesn't think he does. Piglet says that's okay, but instead of walking away, he sits down next to his friend. Pooh's not sure what's going on... Continue Reading →
An elementary school injustice!
My brothers didn't get pulled out of class. My friends Dana and Robby didn't get pulled out. None of the kids who sat near me had to go either. I walked out of my class, my fist in a ball, angered by the injustice. Every week from second to sixth grade, I had to leave... Continue Reading →
The simple skills we fail to learn in high school
(A version of this story ran on March 20, 2016.) My day had not started well. I forgot that I needed to drop my son at school and I was running late to work. I still needed to make a few tweaks to a presentation I was giving later that morning and I desperately needed... Continue Reading →
My refuge from the rain & thunder
(A version of this post ran in April 2019.) When I ran into trouble in school, when I felt like I didn’t fit-in with friends, when life seemed challenging, one place served as a refuge. When I struggled as a kid, I had one place I could go to get away. I liked the baseball... Continue Reading →
Let’s try this again: Paying homage to All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
(A version of this post ran in April 2020.) When life hits back, it can pack a powerful punch. In those moments, I find that I return to a few favorite things: my faith in God; my wife and my family; and my core belief system that goodness, kindness, and hard work will win out.... Continue Reading →
What’s it going to be?
The father in front of me look frazzled and was losing his patience. He had given his son a choice of Matchbox cars to buy for a birthday present for a friend. It was almost time to put the toy on the grocery store cash register. "Which is it going to be Max? The red... Continue Reading →
Don’t judge a book by its cover
On Thursday afternoon, I took a break from work and turned on the television. I was hoping to get a quick update on the weather. Can we expect some sunny skies this weekend? Or is Mother Nature going to stick out her tongue and keep it cold and gray? Of course, I turned on the... Continue Reading →
Lessons from mom
When I was a kid, my mother was a treasure-trove of folksy sayings. When I failed to make the varsity basketball team, she told me to "stop crying over spilled milk. When I was chomping at the bit for Christmas morning, she told me to "hold my horses." Some of her sayings and colloquialisms came... Continue Reading →

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