Four days into the new year and for most of us our New Year’s resolutions are already teetering. There is something about the promise of a new year that makes us try to resolve that we will do better, live better, eat better, be better, but as the saying goes, “the best laid plans…” Continue reading “Resolution”
You Can’t Have it All
It should be obvious to us, since it is to the rest of the world, that we Americans cannot control our appetites. This has been borne out recently by all the sexual harassment and abuse claims that have been leveled at so called “pillars” of the media, of the arts and even of our governing bodies. From the scandalous tales that are coming out now about Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, James Levine, Matt Lauer, Al Franken and John Conyers, one would think that we no longer have the ability to curb our desires. Apparently, many of those in powerful positions have succumbed to the idea that they can have whatever they want with no consequences. Continue reading “You Can’t Have it All”
Simply Christmas!
Last week, we had the opportunity to attend the Olpe High School Christmas program. It was a pleasant program. The students were not polished musicians, it was not a glitzy production, but it did hearken me back to a simpler time. If they had worn white choir boy robes instead of their somewhat matching black and white clothing, one might have thought they were part of a Norman Rockwell magazine illustration. Continue reading “Simply Christmas!”
Come Ye Thankful!
It’s Thanksgiving week and I have been contemplating how most Americans appear to have lost the ability to be thankful. Currently, thankfulness and gratitude play a very small part in our celebration of what the founders of this country were very aware of, that as a nation, we are truly blessed. We live in a country that has an abundance of natural resources we have yet to deplete. More importantly, we were gifted by our forefathers with a constitution that ensures us life and liberty; a promise that still appeals to those who are impoverished and persecuted throughout the world. Continue reading “Come Ye Thankful!”
Winter’s a Comin’
It may be a bleak, chilly fall day, but Autumn still and always is my favorite season of the year. Something about the falling leaves and the crispness of the air reminds me that the months of the year are coming full circle. The gold of the sunflowers is replaced by cornstalks and almost every porch has a pumpkin decorating the steps, whether carved or not. There’s sweet apple cider and the warm smell of smoke from the neighbor’s fireplace to put me in the mood for a good book and sharing my lap with a warm cat. Sometimes, I think that fall is so beautiful because it is preparing us for what lies ahead…cold, wet, snowy days when we will be cooped up inside for months. Continue reading “Winter’s a Comin’”
The Wealthy Poor
Often, on a nice morning, I like to sit on the front porch enjoying a cup of coffee and observing the neighborhood. Most mornings, no matter what season it is, I will be privy to the conversations of the people across the street who occupy one of the two ramshackle houses on our block that always seem to be rented despite their poor condition and constant need of being repaired. Continue reading “The Wealthy Poor”
Our Fractured Society
I, along with most of the nation, find myself suffering from what might be called whiplash, shellshock, or PTSD after the events of the past week. As if the natural disasters brought by the hurricanes this season and now the fires in California are not enough, we are being bombarded with news that is incomprehensible and almost impossible to bear. It doesn’t take a crazed gunman in Las Vegas to tell us that as a nation we are flailing, drowning in a morass that is mostly of our own creation. Continue reading “Our Fractured Society”