I was on the treadmill at the health club when an elderly gentleman walked by and greeted a man who was on the treadmill next to me. “Trying to get in shape?” he asked him. “Just trying to stay alive,” his friend replied. This reminded me of a comic strip I saw once that pictured a doctor with a clipboard talking to an overweight man who had just completed a physical. The doctor glanced at his clipboard, then asked the man, “Which fits in better [...]
I had a dream the other night in which I got a phone call from a young man who was commenting on one of my recent columns. His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him, and he wouldn’t give me his name. He was very complimentary, and referenced other columns I had written over the years, so he was obviously either a long-time reader of my column, or someone I knew personally – or with whom I had crossed paths at some point. [...]
I accidentally bought a box of brownie mix, instead of chocolate cake mix, for a dessert I was planning to make. We got half-decaf – instead of full-strength coffee – by mistake, and didn’t realize it till we were making the first pot of coffee in a house filled with can’t-wake-up-without-it coffee drinkers. And just for good measure, it rained all afternoon and evening on Friday – starting just minutes after we got on the boat, planning to spend a few hours exploring the lake. [...]
A song has been running through my head for the past few days. Not the whole song, just one line. It’s from an old Beatles song, and goes: “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?” I was 14 when the song first came out in 1967, so the lyrics weren’t really relevant to me. That never mattered. As with many popular songs, I knew all the words and could sing along with the radio, but never gave much thought [...]
We were just getting out of our car in the parking garage at the Atlanta Airport when I got the text message from my sister. “Have you left for the airport yet? Because we’re going to be late.” My sister and her son were coming to visit us for a long weekend, and we were picking them up at the airport. But after they had boarded their plane in Chicago, a minor problem was discovered with a cargo door on their plane. Maintenance was still [...]
We flew to Chicago last weekend to visit my in-laws. Seated next to me on the plane was an elderly woman who reminded me of Rosa Parks. We became fast friends after I helped her with her seat belt, which was twisted in such a way that it wouldn’t fasten properly. She later returned the favor by helping me pull my tray table out of the armrest between us. We chatted, off and on, during the flight. I learned that she’s almost 91, that she’s [...]
Sometimes the path we’re on in life is a frustrating, uphill battle. At other times, things are going so well and happening so quickly that we are in awe of the angels and opportunities that have been put in our path to help us. Both have been true – sometimes at the same time – with regard to the work I’m involved in in Uganda. It was October of 2011 when I took the first of four – so far – trips to Uganda with [...]
It’s like riding a bicycle – you never forget how. That’s how I felt recently when I picked up a crochet hook, bought a few skeins of yarn and a new pattern book, and crocheted a baby blanket for some friends of my son who were expecting their first child. Then I made another one for my daughter’s sister-in-law, who is due next month. And now I’m off and running. My grandmother tried teaching me how to crochet when I was young, but it never [...]
I went through a totally humiliating experience this week. Worse, it was entirely self-inflicted. And just for good measure, it was in front of people I respect and admire, even though I don’t really know them very well yet. It happened during a meeting of my new Toastmasters club. I was giving my first speech to the group – one that’s known as the “icebreaker” and that’s meant to help new members get comfortable with speaking. It also lets the rest of the club get [...]
Often, when I look at what’s going on in our country and the world, I get depressed, scared, and extremely concerned about where we’re headed. At other times, however, I see things that fill me with hope and optimism for the future. Last week was one of those. I spent several days last week in a small town in Michigan, talking – and listening – to hundreds of students in dozens of classes, mostly kindergarten through middle school. I was with Tabitha, my friend from [...]