^{_{“That life, like the vapor on a tea cup, appeared only to disappear.”}}

He carried her down the street
Holding her as close to his heaving chest as humanly possible
His strong arms supporting her tiny spiritless form
Thin frail limbs
Swinging free
Lifeless and broken
Blood stains covering…

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When my daughter entered junior high school I suddenly became a much stupider man.

I’ve been told that when she reaches the age of thirty I’ll become a little smarter again.

But for now, I’m a step behind Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel.

Our conversations, like her once c… Read full post »

The problem with trolls is they attract attention - like a librarian with Tourette’s.

Drivers slow down to observe wrecks. It’s a sad practice - and often causes delays and harm to others - but most of us do it, even knowing we may see something we’ll really regret. Same… Read full post »

 

Patience quietly whispers “Wait,” while Worry tears the door from hinges.
Worry frets - unraveling threads, as Patience sews them all secure.

Patience trusts that good will come. Worry fears to last the night.
Worry tries to see the future. Patience gives her all today.

Patienc… Read full post »

 I’m starting to wonder if leaving this life is kinda like graduating.

I mean, maybe there are some things you finally learn to do and then you’re ready to die. At least I’m pretty sure there’s a case to be made for this theory.

One of these “learn to do/… Read full post »

 One of my favorite Springsteen tunes begins with the lyrics,

“Born down in a dead man's town,
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground,
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much,
Till you spend half your life just covering up.”

There’s a lot of insight… Read full post »

Writers have always served as a wellspring of inspiration for the world. That is precisely why we must seek to be better at our craft.

The past few decades have witnessed a devastating decline in literacy, decency, accuracy, and proficiency when it comes to the written word.

When a/… Read full post »

I remember hearing the news of the Kent State killings at my own school campus that terrible Monday May 4, 1970.

The deaths of Allison Krause, Jeffrey Glen Miller, Sandra Lee Scheuer, and William Knox Schroeder left a life long impression upon me. Their senseless killings were/… Read full post »

I grew up with a deep fascination and respect for the heroes I discovered in the cinema, fairy tales, mythology, and even comic books. They inspired me as few other things have. When I read these fictional stories of honor and bravery I longed to become just as… Read full post »

Transforming the character of debate in our nation will not be an easy thing to do. It’s far easier to sink to whatever level of communication is being used (or abused) at the moment. This is especially true when we become angered or upset by misinformation, outright lies in opposing/…

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Perhaps it’s because there is something enchanted about this story, or maybe because so few remain who remember they saw these events take place. Whatever the cause, we who lived through the conflict have incredible difficulty recalling the tale or actually believing that we were part o… Read full post »

There are times when nothing seems to communicate what we're feeling inside better than an emphatically exhaled curse word.

I find swearing to be most effective when used like black or white truffles in the kitchen: Sparingly with an eye to the cost.

Gratuitous swearing misses the point. Gil/… Read full post »

There are borders and boundaries that trouble me

They trouble me because they do not trouble me enough

Like the boundaries between the “haves” and the “have nots”

South of here, across secured borders
Indulged luxury occupies white sandy beaches
And “hard earned” reward… Read full post »

In the still moments before you passed
That late fall afternoon
I could feel you preparing to leave me
“Forever”
I looked upon your face
And a thousand memories flashed through my mind

I “saw” your smile
Waking me
First thing in the morning
I saw your stern seriousness
Warning me of an… Read full post »

Introduction
The last few decades have seen a dangerous blurring of the lines which our founders drew to protect our Constitutional Republic from becoming an extension of any religion - and in particular the Christian church.

At the same time large segments of the Evangelical Church have enthus/… Read full post »

Life brings difficult choices, hard situations, and hurtful relationships. People get crushed, bruised, broken and wounded in ways they never see coming. Often we can find ourselves without the experience or living skills to deal very well with what we're going through.

People who invest their hearts… Read full post »

If you visit tribesmen in Papau New Guinea it’s not too clever to expect them to adopt your manners, customs and language. If you want your time with them to pass peacefully and productively you’ll become a student and learn from them. It’s only after you obtain some degree of under…

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Modified text from the closing argument in “To Kill A Mockingbird” - with apologies to Harper Lee and Horton Foote.

“The candidates for the Republican Party, with the exception of a few tepid disavowals, have presented themselves to you voters - to this Country - in the cyn… Read full post »

If history teaches us anything it’s that we rarely learn anything from history. Human history is the story of men seeking power by any and every means necessary. The brief, beautiful, moments we cherish most in the human chronicle have come from those who love peace… Read full post »

During the Pennsylvania Primary Barack Obama was labeled by his opposition as an "elitist." In doing so they created an opportunity that more than a few folks had been anxiously waiting for: The chance to call Senator Obama "that uppity negro" while using words that are politically correct.

As far as…

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It's desperately hard work to privately appeal to people we have issues with. And to do so long term - seeking to find a lasting reconciliation - is even harder. But it is mature.

The easiest route to take is to publish our conflicts publicly without ever going through the process of/… Read full post »

Current events have moved many of us to realize it wouldn’t take much to see violence replace informed debate and reason.

Seeking to settle race issues with violence nearly destroyed our nation once before. The Civil War which tore America apart offers an urgently needed lesson to us now/… Read full post »

Governor Palin, are you oblivious to the potential violence you’re inciting by claiming that Senator Barack Obama has been “palling around with domestic terrorists”? Please tell us that’s not what you’re aiming at.

Senator McCain, after so many years in politics,/… Read full post »

These people are being interviewed as they arrive at a McCain-Palin rally held in Strongsville, Ohio. Frightening stuff - really.

I have to agree with a comment made by an astute observer. The Republicans cutting funding for education certainly worked.