It was a lovely summer day. Grandkids were enjoying the pool. The two-year-old grandgirl was intensely absorbed in playing with her school bus and play figures on our screened front porch while her mother and I stood nearby engrossed in conversation. Our talk was disrupted by our little girl saying in a clear voice, “frog.” Immediately, we looked at each other and chuckled, “How cute.” We knew the baby was saying the word frog because…
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I am one of 12 children. I remember when I was in high school my mom just got plain fed up with all that we were demanding of her so she made a sign. She attached her hand-made sign to a dowel and whenever we approached she raised the sign. The sign had three lines written on it: I want I need Buy me All 3 lines were crossed out. This was Mom’s declaration that…
1 CommentHere in the United States, there is much excitement for “returning to normal” from the months of the pandemic. In New York City, Broadway Shows open in September. Across the country most schools are returning to in-person classes. Before your calendar gets refilled, I invite you to a refresh. Join me for a pause to establish and renew daily practices of life-giving rhythms. This course is a small cohort that will seek to provide clarity…
1 CommentI was running down the middle of my campus dormitory hallway. The naval term is chopping. All freshmen were required to chop whenever they were out of their rooms. This behavior and many others marked us as plebes, and there was only one way for our plebe rules to end. Climb Herndon. Herndon is a 21-foot granite obelisk standing on the US Naval Academy grounds. It was dedicated as all monuments at the Naval Academy…
4 CommentsA few years back, I dared my student community in the Institute for Cultural Communicators to a 30 day speaking challenge. This past week, I participated in a 7-day writing challenge. The results then and now have been fun and exciting, especially when the challenge connects to a vital real-world skill and personal growth. Here are my three takeaways from the best of a challenge: Challenges catalyze growth The only way to grow is to…
Leave a CommentMy brother Jim’s mother died when he was a toddler. His life was topsy-turvy. Jim describes his teen years as stealing cigarettes from our parent’s room, sneaking off with his friends to drink alcohol, and getting into trouble with school. Jim joined the Air Force. At the risk that further misconduct involving illegal drugs would result in a bad conduct discharge, my father flew down to Texas, where Jim was stationed, and appealed to Jim’s…
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