The Words Fall Out

I pissed off a friend the other day: I called her “beautiful.” She was truly irked at my remark, shoving it away with, “I don’t care about that. I’ve never cared.” She had more to say—some of it I heard, and some I didn’t, as I was busy scolding myself, wishing I could take it […]

Spring is here, and that means it’s time for me to pay some attention to my garden beds. Time to cut back the dead, scoop up the leaves that have over-wintered there, and, you know, care. I did manage to clean out most of them, then found myself stalled by weather and apathy, so there […]

It was my deep honor to be invited to speak at our daughter and son-in-law’s wedding. This is what I said to them, shared with permission from the couple. (As you read, keep in mind that this is a spoken piece, so please forgive the free-form grammar.) Like most advice, it is as much a […]

I have spent my life trying not to get in trouble. I don’t like getting in trouble, I don’t like being scolded or punished, I don’t like people being mad at me. Along with that, I don’t like it when people shove their opinions in my face—or down my throat—so I tend not to do […]

Our daughter got married. A simple enough sentence, yet there was nothing simple about it. How do I adequately recount such a thing? I could go through a chronology, but, meh. I could describe the event itself, how it was so moving, so unexpected, so not to plan. I could tell you about the whole […]

Facts are always true, but sometimes they can’t begin to tell the whole truth.

Fact: Sue Mogan was our kids’ elementary school music teacher.
Truth: Sue Mogan was the most influential educator in our family’s history. She was at once teacher, mentor, colleague, cheerleader, confidant, and friend. She was foundational; she was inspirational. […]

It is concert season, and the community calendar is overflowing with a vast array of performances—symphonies professional and collegiate, chamber groups orchestral and vocal, choirs sacred and profane. I wish I could hear them all.

Still, of all the concert events out there, my favorites are at school. Nothing is more magical than a school performance. The age doesn’t matter: I feel as much pure joy watching the little kids who can barely stand still as I do the nearly-graduated who have keenly honed their skills. …

I am married to an honest man, a man whose integrity rules beyond the bounds or morality and ethics: it is woven into the fabric of his soul. By all accounts he was this way even as a kid, but I suspect his sense of integrity was honed and settled in his years as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. […]

Like them or not, you’ve got to admit it: cars are pretty amazing. What else have we got that, no matter the time, place, or weather, gets us where we want to go as easily and efficiently as a car? Climb in, turn the key, and go. That’s amazing. I am grateful for cars. […]

What if.

January 1 – April 30: Campaign-Free Zone
Every year, a 4-month moratorium on political speeches, stumping, TV ads, direct mail, and public solicitation of funds. That’s right, no campaigning: it’s Quiet Time. This includes PACs, too. […]