I’m dressed in rags and I look pale and haggard like I haven’t eaten or gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. My wife has left me. My kids have turned their back on me. I’m homeless and wandering aimlessly through town. Of course, I’m playing out this sad scenario in my mind. In reality,... Continue Reading →
Keeping an open mind
The choices were less than spectacular. One book had a blue cover and the name of the book in gold font. The other looked old and had a picture of a scary wolf with large fangs. My second-grade teacher read to the class a few minutes each day and she had given me the honor... Continue Reading →
Can you feel the love tonight
The young woman rang up my grocery order. I had the exact number of items to fit the express line, but she still gave me a cold stare like I was a rule breaker. She threw my groceries down the conveyor, paying little attention how they landed. In this COVID-19 environment, I rarely go to... Continue Reading →
Four things that make me happy
I grew up reading the news. My local newspaper was slight in size, but I started reading the paper from front to back at a relatively young age. I loved baseball and football, so I obviously made my way to the Sports Page, but I read the rest of the paper too. The topic didn’t... Continue Reading →
Glass-half-full
The year has seen its share of challenges. I haven't seen any Murder Hornets yet, but I'm sure they're on their way. In my own household, the Coronavirus pandemic has shut down my daughter’s Peace Corps tour, cancelled our trip to see our son in California, and forced my youngest son’s school to an awkward... Continue Reading →
See the world
I pick up a frosty drink and take a sip. I’m lounging on the soft Caribbean sand and couldn’t be happier. Before I have time to really savor the image, a worker in a white jump suit walks up with a large classroom eraser in his hands and erases the picture from my mind. He replaces... Continue Reading →
Bigger, better, stronger
When I was a gawky kid, whenever I brought home my report card, if I had a B, I immediately wanted a A. If I had a A, I wanted an A-plus. When I ran cross country in high school, if I cut 15 seconds off my 5k time, I wanted to run the exact... Continue Reading →
The artist dying to come out
When I was 20, I took a drawing class. I believed in the Liberal Arts tradition that college should be about more than just checking off a list of required classes. I believed that college should help you to become a better person. You should learn a career or trade, but also learn about yourself... Continue Reading →
Better together
I met them by accident. She was an older African-American woman with a permanent hunch caused by years of hard work as a housekeeper and hours slouched over a needle and thread. She couldn't see real well anymore, but her hearing was still pinpoint accurate. She could read a room without ever seeing it. In... Continue Reading →

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