I am frustrated at all the things I can’t get done. Editing projects. Retiling the kitchen floor. Changing the oil in the car.Fixing the squeaky door to the bathroom.The stack of books that I need to read.The breakfast date I can’t seem to fill. Does your list grow longer instead of shorter? J.C. Schaap, who blogs at Stuff in the Basement, is annoyed at his inability to get everything done at work and home. “Industry is like piety, in a way–you can... Read more
I just want to make a difference. And so do you. In every walk of life, we want to know that our efforts aren’t in vain. If a sculpture leaves his best work on a tree stump in the deep woods, will anyone see it?If a writer leaves a piece of paper in a library will anybody read it?If a painter paints his masterpieces, only to turn the canvas over to cover a drafty windy, what good is it? Like other... Read more
If you were around in the 70’s, you’ll never forgot the movie Jaws, adapted from Peter Benchley’s book. Let’s just say it wasn’t beach reading. The premise was simple. A eastern seaboard resort town. Families on vacation. Sun. Laughter. Swimming. And a killer shark. Much of the movie centered on the coverup by the city officials who didn’t want a little thing like killer sharks ruining their summer tourism season. Who can forget Amity Mayor Vaughn, at a press conference, who said this,... Read more
I was just ten, but I vividly remember Coach Dan. I never cared for him and I think the feeling was mutual. Unlike his superstar son, I was slow footed and less than athletic. I was a little joker. He was all business. For me, it was just Little League, a chance to play ball with my friends and mimic my heroes. For him, it was life. Although I was bigger and stronger than many of the other kids, I just... Read more
At one point in nearly every life, comes a time when you feel like you’ve lost everything. And that’s not such a bad place to be. I’ll never forget that day when the wheels came off my shiny car speeding down the freeway to happiness. Standing on the side of the road, alone, all of my successes suddenly were empty, hollow. Nothing really mattered — except what mattered. Friends? Most just dropped away in silence, not knowing what to say. Family? They... Read more
This modern age, full of innovation, technology and promise is perhaps best known by its brokenness. Marriages split with increased regularity, families are in upheaval and society is in disarray. Watch daytime television for all the evidence you need. Tune in the evening news for further confirmation. And then look in your own heart to hear your own pain. Quite frankly, we are a mess. When parents make bad choices, and that’s the model children have, there’s a good chance that... Read more
Tiger Woods, the talented, but tortured golfer, has another hurdle to cross in his quest for redemption. This week, he was caught by a television camera spitting on the green during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic. Apparently, it was a “serious” breach of the Euro Tour code of conduct. Woods was publicly called out by tour officials and fined an undiscolosed amount. As the world knows, last year he was wrapped up in a lurid sex scandal that... Read more
L-i-a-r I type the four letters slowly. You see, I’m not writing about a politician or a fraudulent businessman. I’m not writing about some scoundrel or gangster. It’s me. I told a lie. I knew it as soon as I uttered the words, dripping like acid from my tongue, scalding a precious relationship. Scrambling, I found it Impossible to scoop it back in. And rather than rushing to correct the wrong, I covered the lie with another, creating a toxic waste zone. History tells... Read more
This article was written by Denver Handyman Philip Faustin. I’ve known him for a number of years and wish I were half the man he is. This article was originally published at The High Calling. Philip’s blog can be found here. The voice on the other end of the phone was sad, but resolute. Her beloved dog had “died a year ago.” It was buried in the back yard in a plastic tote box, “the kind with the snap-on lid,” she said.... Read more
It hits at the oddest of times. It might be in a crowded room, or while driving the car, or surrounded by friends and family. It creeps up the back of my spine and digs in just behind my heart. It’s a familiar foe that knows me well. It conjures up past wrongs and present divides and turns them into a single word. Isolation. And with that word comes all the fears of standing alone, with no one to care. It’s silly... Read more
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