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Sometimes I hear an echo

Some years ago I was given an insulated travel coffee cup by a firm with which we did business. It was a lovely cup — tall, slender, stainless-steel inside and out, nice rubber grip on the outside. A short time after I acquired the cup, I had an appointment in a town about 40-minutes away. It was an early morning appointment, the time of day I needed coffee-to-go, so I filled the travel cup and was on my way. After merging onto I-80 and comfortably on my way, I flipped open the lid and took a sip of coffee. Or rather, I tried to take a sip of coffee. I was cruelly reminded that ...

Here’s the hard truth

Here’s the hard truth; your past only defines you if you let it. We’ve all got chapters we don’t talk about much. Decisions we’d take back without hesitation. Moments that stick with you longer than they should. That’s part of being human. But where people get it wrong, at least I know for a fact I have, is letting those moments become your whole story. They start introducing themselves or describing themselves through their worst day, their biggest mistake, or the version of themselves that no longer even exists. I believed I had to justify my past daily to move on with ...

A Mother’s Day corsage

May was always a special time in my boyhood family. Our mother’s birthday was on May 8 and Mother’s Day was a few days away — sometimes on the same day. As kids we couldn’t afford anything remarkable for Mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day, but I remember buying her cards for one day or the other at the dime store on Main Street. My younger siblings remembered her in their own ways on those special days. As a boy I never considered buying flowers for anyone, especially a female. The idea was just not in my brain’s software design. High school proms changed that. In the ...

Planning a fishing trip

Getting ready to go on a fishing trip should be an easy thing. That’s what I used to think. After going on many, many fishing trips over the years, I’ve learned that some planning is a good idea. Whether you’re going for a day, a weekend, or on an extended fishing trip, some planning ...

An agitated mind: Can’t we choose peace?

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” –Matthew 5:9 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” –John 14:27 What do you think is the goal of American life nowadays? Happiness? Success? Financial security? Just getting through the day? Here’s my observation: The goal of American life is now to have an agitated mind. Not a peaceful mind; not a joyful mind; not a grateful mind; not a quiet mind, but an agitated mind. Now an ...

Grab a friend and take a stroll

If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. I’ve heard this has been said about our brains, our muscles, even our skills and talents like playing the piano, or singing. But it applies to much more than this. The services and businesses that are important to any community are at risk when we shift from a local economy to an on-line economy. And once we are fully sucked into that type of purchasing, we are slowly seeing the loss of things that are important to us. Like the businesses who used to grace our downtown. We have become a society of shoppers, yet we seem to have ...