My mom never had the chance to go to college. She never took a Psychology class and she never had a chance to sit in on a seminar on “how to win friends and influence others.” She grew up on an Amish farm and was forced to quit school after the eighth grade. Despite her... Continue Reading →
Gnome sweet Gnome!
(A version of this story ran in December 2023) My wife asked me to go with her to a craft store to look at some Christmas decorations. For a lot of guys, this could've been torture. I try to take a longer view. My wife gets to shop and get decorating ideas, while I get... Continue Reading →
Things we thought made you an adult
After a long day of work, my dad would set his wallet on our kitchen table. I was amazed by both what was in it and how thick it was. The wallet was worn and sweat stained and looked the size of a small brick. He wasn't the only one. My baseball coach would come... Continue Reading →
It’s the thought that counts
Today is Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season in the U.S. and beyond. Management Consulting Firm Bain & Company estimates that retail sales in the U.S. from Black Friday to Cyber Monday could increase by 5%, reaching a record-breaking $75 billion It's natural to think about gift-giving this time of the... Continue Reading →
Letting the cat out of the bag
I clicked off the conference call and got up from the desk. I was beat. It was one of those days when it was one meeting after another. I opened the office door and was surprised to see my newfound friend waiting for me in the hall. My daughter's cat greeted me with a meow... Continue Reading →
Be like Mike
In 1991, Gatorade ran an ad featuring Michael Jordan that showed game film of him in midair moving the basketball from his right hand to left to score a difficult layup. The commercial shows him dunking and being, well, classic MJ and then cuts to young men and kids playing on a playground court. They... Continue Reading →
A letter to my future self
When we first had kids, my wife wanted a large table for us to all sit around at dinner time. She knew that we would have our share of ups and downs as a family. She wanted to make sure we had a place to come together for important meals and conversations. She's always been... Continue Reading →
Farewell and see ya soon!
A gentle rustling came from the trees in our back yard. It could have been the wind or two squirrels playing at the base of the tree. I sat down on a chair on our deck and closed my eyes. A few hours early there was a general rumbling in our house. Two of our... Continue Reading →
Go west, young man!
We had a chance to spend a few days with our son last week at Arches National Park in Utah and the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. I could write a lengthy, flowery post on the trip, but my words would never explain it better than the pictures themselves. Beautiful, beautiful country. Yes, go... Continue Reading →

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