My 47-year-old father’s death crushed me harder than anything I saw while I was in Vietnam. — Cemeteries are the landlords of our lifeless bodies. Inside each casket, you will find a lifetime of memories, if only the residents could talk. For many of us, they also contain the answers to many unspoken questions. You can stroll through any of these in the daytime and find them…

Nonsensical terms destroy many great articles — As I read stories each day, I am struck by the number of writers who use meaningless terms to try to convey their thoughts. They make no sense whatsoever. Here’s a good example for you: When I go home each night, I want to try and get some sleep, instead…

I made it one whole year on Medium, with a few stops here and there in between my posts — Looking through my past postings I had just downloaded from Medium, I noticed that my very first article appeared on here exactly one year ago today. Wow, that went fast! I was doing some obligatory “spring cleaning” of my mind recently, trying to make sure I wasn’t hanging on to…

Futuristic news broadcasting takes the stage, front and center — According to multiple sources, “fake news” has been around since at least the 1890s, although the term itself was seldom used by the news media until the election cycle of November 2016. In part, we can attribute that to media editors and directors wanting to slant the day’s news to…

Some of us want to be an ostrich, while others want to be an eagle — Stop… wait… hold on there! Don’t go away just yet. Continue reading and you will find that this is not an article about politics, or religion — not in the least. No, what this article will address is a nagging insight into our individual need to be right, and to…

The problem with this is a lack of consistency — Living in the Ohio Valley has its good points and bad. The weather is so fickle that, in the spring, when you go outside, if you’re properly attired, you could see all four seasons in less than half an hour! For those who think I’m kidding, I have seen it…

All intelligent thinking stops at the beltline — Have you ever lit a firecracker and then tossed it, only to have it “phsfft” on you and do nothing? Irritating, wasn’t it? In a nutshell, folks, that is what dating in today’s modern times amounts to: “phsfft.” There are all kinds of websites and dating apps where someone can…

I would select intelligence, compassion, and love for all humanity — Tell me, if you were given the opportunity to choose three more traits to have in your being, your personality, what would they be? That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? While it is semi-rhetorical, I find myself believing that I can affect my response to outside influence and interference by…

The hardest thing for us to learn is that change will occur despite our anxious attempts to remain the same — Stop, you’re going too fast! You’re wanting to search my words, hoping to find some wisdom that you might apply to your life that will make you a better person. Stop, and take enough time to truly reflect on the picture… the tree! By any definition you care to apply…