He was ten years older and stood a foot taller than me. We were both on the quiet side. He had two daughters that were around the age of my two oldest kids. When the kids were restless during church, he and I would both stand in the back entrance-way. We would rock our babies... 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 →
Becoming a hermit
When Pat, a family friend, lost her husband in the mid 1990s, she found herself rudderless. She couldn't get out of bed. She had a tough time moving on from the loss. They had been childhood sweethearts. They had spent a lifetime together and when their kids were finally out of the house and on... Continue Reading →
A willow or an oak?
Life really is like a spinning top — a child's toy that spins upright, then as it loses energy, starts to wobble with increasing amplitude before finally tipping over and rolling on its side. Where it lands nobody knows. Image by Pexels. Say what? Prior to Christmas break, I put in a couple of long... Continue Reading →
A sad day in American history
When I'd see Nate in the hall in my dorm or in the quad, he always had a smile for you. We had the same major and had a lot similar tastes. On paper, we should have been great friends. However, I learned my freshman year of college that I couldn't trust him. Nate had... Continue Reading →
Everybody’s talking, nobody’s listening
In a meeting last week, I tried to bring up a key risk that our team needed to pay closer attention. When I went to speak, three other people talked over me. I waited my turn and found a spot later in the meeting to make my point. I work with a great group of... 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 →
Falling into a swirling whirlpool
I've been in a crazy downward swirl lately. —I put my wallet down and two minutes later I can't remember where I put it. I ask my wife where the cell phone cord is that she just gave me. She looks at me strange. Of course, it's in my hand. "Duh, how'd that get there."... Continue Reading →
A real life version of The Office
When I first entered the corporate world, I liked working on a campus and having a coffee shop and cafeteria one building over from mine. I liked being able to just grab the office supplies that I needed no questions asked. Let's be honest, I especially liked the bump in salary that I got, compared... Continue Reading →

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