When I was little, my grandma called me her “joy boy.” To be fair, I was the first grandchild, so I had that going for me. Grandma taught Sunday School to little kids and even drove a few to Emannuel Baptist Church. Their parents didn’t have the means, but Grandma cared about them and set … Continue reading A Lenten Meditation
Tag: life
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“There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary numbers and those who do not.” Math jokes aside, anyone who thinks there are only two kinds of people in the world is mistaken, if not delusional. It might sound good to divide the world into two parts – saints and sinners, … Continue reading Categories
Control and Chaos
The father was right. There must be rules around the house. Children must obey their parents. Speak when spoken to. Come when they’re called. Pick up their toys. Clean their room. Do their homework. Don’t run in the house. Do their chores. Don’t talk back to their mother. Eat their vegetables. Ask for permission. Stop … Continue reading Control and Chaos
Stories Run Wild
Ursula Le Guin referred to works of fiction as thought experiments. Her concept fits my attempts to tell stories. Le Guin also suggested that all fiction is metaphorical. It seems to me science fiction is often an allegory about “real life,” whatever that is. Much like geometric proof, science fiction postulates possible outcomes, based on … Continue reading Stories Run Wild
The Peace Pipe
“This will give you peace of mind,” the ad said. “What is peace of mind, anyhow,” Mort wondered. Every automobile and appliance Mort had purchased ended up disappointing him, even the expensive ones. To Mort, the saying, “you get what you pay for,” usually meant that paying more only bought more headaches, more hassle, more … Continue reading The Peace Pipe
Beautiful
“It’s a beautiful day in Pennsylvania!” Thus spoke Pete Wambach on his daily radio program for over 20 years. I grew up in Pennsylvania, so I remember it well. Fred Rogers used to sing his title song, “It’s a Beautiful day in the Neighborhood” for his children’s show. “The night is beautiful, so the faces … Continue reading Beautiful
Suggestibility
As our parents aged, we noticed they became less able to make good decisions. My father was once a man in charge, making major decisions for a Fortune 500 company. But, in his last few years of life, he relied on me. Whenever I would try to explain his finances or some decision I had … Continue reading Suggestibility
We Didn’t Know
I recall part of a conversation I had with my father about the Enron fraud case in the early 2000s. Dad was a retired executive, so I asked his opinion about the CEO claiming he didn’t know what was going on. My dad told me it’s the CEO’s job to know. If one said otherwise, … Continue reading We Didn’t Know
Higher, Louder, Faster
In high school I admired trumpet players like Cat Anderson, Roy Eldridge, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Hirt, Doc Severinsen, Harry James, and of course, Maynard Ferguson. Many young trumpeters tried to play like these gentlemen, especially up high. In college, I managed to play a few of Maynard’s arrangements, sometimes even sounding a little … Continue reading Higher, Louder, Faster
Notes on The Journey
An old friend called me a few days ago to tell me he was diagnosed with dementia. We are about the same age, so it was not hard to imagine myself in his shoes. Except he is a cancer survivor. 15 years ago he underwent a horrendous array of treatments – chemo therapy, a bone … Continue reading Notes on The Journey
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