It’s a great thing to say, “God is love” and that gives a temporary measure of relief to a friend who’s lost a parent, to a buddy who got laid off or to someone who’s spouse has left them. God is love is a sweet flower that wafts through the hear. You smell it. You smile and you move on. Read more
“This is your captain in the flight deck and we’ve just reached our cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. We have some rough air up ahead so I’m going to keep the fasten seat belt light on until we get through this little bit of turbulence.” I check my seat belt and it’s fastened – not pulled in too tight, though. I look left and right, eyeing my fellow passengers, looking to spot the white-knuckled rookie travelers as we approach the... Read more
Blame the President. Blame Congress. Blame the oil companies. Blame the banks. Blame the rich. Blame the Democrats. Blame the Republicans. Blame Wall Street. Blame Hollywood. And this national blame game spills over into our personal lives. We blame coworkers for not producing. We blame spouses for not communicating. We blame the other guy for causing the accident. Rarely do we hear the words, “Blame me.” There’s a tendency to look at everyone else’s work and find fault. I had... Read more
(This is also today’s featured post over at the High Calling) Our black lab, Obi, was a great dog, but adventurous. Every squirrel needed to be chased, every hole in the ground held a mystery, and every fence needed to be jumped. One of those fences was just a little too tall and he opened up a festering wound on his front side. Two pills a day for five days and the infection would be gone, the vet told us. The... Read more
We have our share of problems in society. A burgeoning debt that threatens to swamp our financial well being. A moral decay that has devastated the family structure. An aging society that will tax our resources. But the need to Play might just be most important thing missing from our world. I drove past the park just past Alameda Avenue. It’s a gorgeous piece of property with a top notch playground. Every community has more than one, just like this, financed by tax... Read more
The news from Japan looks grim. Towns are in complete rubble. 10,000’s are lost and likely dead. Nuclear power plants are imploding from within. I was inspired to read the story of the Fukushima 50, the men and women who stayed inside the nuclear complex trying to contain the disaster. One said, “I’m not afraid to die. It’s my job.” Here in the U.S., how are we reacting? Some are sending money and boarding airplanes to help. But most are... Read more
I had lunch yesterday with a young man today who is hurting. You could see it in his eyes and hear it in what he didn’t say. Two days ago, he lost a buddy who died in his sleep, just 28 years young. My friend lost his job. Dismissed with little more than a small severance, after years of loyal service, he lost his dignity, along with his paycheck.And then there’s a writer buddy who has is facing end-of-life issues — with... Read more
It happened to me the other day. I read some of my old performance appraisals and one in particular jumped out. It was from a boss that I clashed with. For nearly a year it was a constant battle of the wills and I was the one that lost because of pride. My work performance crashed – often spectacularly. I was immature and foolish and it’s all right there in the report, in black and white. “Shadows of the Past,”From... Read more
(I as honored to have this post highlighted today over at the High Calling. Please join the conversation over there.) I pulled the tie to my neck. It was cinched just like my dad had taught me. He called it the four-in-hand. I just called it “good.” I took another look at myself in the full-length mirror. No lint on my shoulder. Shoes polished. Hair combed back. Although I had been in the new position for just a few weeks, it... Read more
It seems that my life is often dominated by the broken promises of “More.” I have promised to write more letters, visit more friends, smile at more children. I have purposed in my heart to give more money away and to spend more time at home. Yet most, if not all of these desires are waylaid by the tyranny of the urgent. The important things in life are supplanted by the urgent things. The pressing demands of time and energy... Read more
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