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Columns

  • A dream comes true

     

    The building will soon be bare, the stories it once held packed for safekeeping.

    The Taylor County Public Library is moving. I’m thrilled at the news, but also saddened.

    I grew up at the library, literally. As a child, I went to the library at least once a week.

    I learned to appreciate reading from my parents, but also from my extended family, my friends at the library.

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  • Things that go bump in the night

    We’ve all heard the sounds that frighten us in the middle of the night. There’s a creaking sound.

    Was it a door? No, of course not. The doors are locked and there’s no way anyone could get inside the house. How about someone taking a step across the dining room floor? No, don’t be silly. It was just the house settling. Yeah, that’s what it was.

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  • Finding the real deal

    “You don’t seem like a preacher, at least not a typical one. You’re ‘the real deal.’”

    The comment, coming from an inmate in jail, I took as a compliment, although I frequently ask myself if I’m really real.

    His comment was followed by a question: “How did you ever get to be a preacher in the first place?

    I was tempted to ask, “Do you think I should have been something else?”

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  • Be better than yourself

     

    In light of the recent untimely deaths, criminal activity in our community and the tragedy in the Connecticut elementary school, my 2013 New Year’s resolution is to take the lead in making our community a safer and more secure place to live. I want to begin by promoting character development in our children.

    At some point, parents think about the kind of person their child will grow up to be. This is different from what they may do for a living. This involves issues of integrity, honesty and caring for others.

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  • A different kind of Christmas

     

    Christmastime brings lots of emotions, from the joy of seeing friends and family to the sadness of not seeing those who have died and aren't here anymore.

    And while the sights of Christmas should bring jolliness and good tidings, for others it's just plain sad.

    This Christmas was a first for me - the first I have had without any grandparents. There was no driving through the woods to get to grandmother's house.

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  • Is it someone important or just family?

     

    "Is someone important arriving here or are people just waiting for family?"

    Before I could answer the man, the lady standing next to me in the airport terminal said in a voice loud enough for everyone around us to hear, "Family IS important!"

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  • Holidays bring joy and pain

    For all the joy and hope Christmas brings to some, it can mean the searing pain of loneliness to others.

    I had just pulled onto I-65 at the Franklin exit when I saw a hitchhiker holding a sign that said "Chicago."

    My wife's words were echoing in my ears, "Don't pick up strangers when you're out on the road."

    Wives are like that. But he looked too old to be much of a threat. Besides, there was a nasty looking cloud moving in from the west. I pulled over and stopped and he climbed in beside me.

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  • Resolve to keep resolutions

     

    Nine days.

    That's how long until, according to a British survey by allabouthealth.org.uk, the majority of people give up on their New Year's resolutions.

    Last year, my resolution was to wear earrings every day. Things were going well until the sixth day when I discovered half of a pair of earrings I had just gotten for Christmas on the floor - chewed up beyond recognition - and a guilty-looking beagle named Ellie nearby.

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  • Can we talk?

     

    I used to work with someone who would on rare occasions step into my office and ask, "Can we talk?"

    I immediately knew something was seriously amiss and therefore needed to be addressed in order to avoid potentially disastrous consequences.

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  • Christmas wishes

     

    This is one of my favorite times of the year.

    It’s busy, but people seem happy. They spend time with each other. They decorate. They donate to worthy causes and pitch in to help those in need.

    The winter season gets in full swing and even the chance of snow flurries makes me happy.

    We laugh more and are more generous. People buy presents for those they love and those who might not get presents.

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