It was a magical time. I was a young guy who was lucky enough to wind up working as director of student activities at a small college in Denison, Iowa. I was newly married to Kitty, who taught at Denison High School. We lived in a tiny, tiny house in a nice part of town. We …
Every Thursday morning, I am blessed by reading Alyssa Forcehimes’ blog, Leading with Heart. Yesterday was special for me in that Alyssa gave me exactly what I needed. Her message was a simple one of being thankful for the small things that come your way each day. She made …
No big deal! So I broke this old crystal glass a few nights ago while doing the dishes after Sherry had gone to bed. I guess it was passed on from Sherry’s mother, who got it from her mother and so on. It was really old and fragile. With the holidays and all, I …
This gets personal, but I think there are two important messages at the end. I’ve had a 34-inch waist for many years. All my dress pants and jeans are 34s. Over the last 10 weeks, I’ve had some real issues with walking due to my osteoarthritis, two hip replacements and three …
I fell down in the deep snow of our winter blizzard and couldn’t get up. My Swiss shepherds went immediately into action. Nigel Jay, our alpha dog, rushed to the front gate to protect me from dangerous intruders. The only possible intruder in a snow storm is our neighbor …
Who stole my 2021? It went by so quickly. Thank goodness I journal daily, often writing just a few lines about what I am thinking or doing on a particular day. I went through it from January 1 to today to figure out what happened to my year. There was a lot of stuff that …
One of the blessings aging has bestowed on me is a major injection of humility. I may have a long way to go, but at least I’m headed in the right direction. Before I hit my 70s, I took false pride in my accomplishments. I did not take time to figure out what was really going …
I’m getting prepped for a wonderful Christmas day. Washoe Valley is carpeted in snow, with more coming over the mountains any minute. I’m surrounded by loving friends and family. I’m newly retired, and a good piece of each day is totally mine – a great gift for the days to …
William Miller has written another great book that helps me figure out where I’ve been and where I might choose to go. It’s titled “On Second Thought: How Ambivalence Shapes Your Life” and describes the ways ambivalence plays a huge part in big and small choices …
Yes, we have a new puppy: Jack Newson, the dog, not to be confused with Jack Newsom, the man (Sherry’s dad), or Jack Newsom, the boy (our grandson), or Jack Newsom, the cat (our long-haired beauty). Jack Newsom is 10 weeks old and staying in our house until he joins his four …
