"And in despair I bowed my head; There is no peace on earth," I said; "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I once felt peace in the month of Christmas. It was both a personal feeling of peace and a global one. As …
A Letter to My Sons About Appropriate Attire
Fathers have an obligation to pass on what they know to their sons. As you boys get older, I wanted to give you some rules about how to properly dress for occasions that require more thought than blue jeans and a t-shirt. I started thinking about this the other day when one of you asked …
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Still Flawed
I named this blog "Reflections of a Flawed Man" because I truly do believe that I'm flawed. In fact, I know I'm flawed in two general ways. First, I've had two major strokes and cancer. All three were flukes in that none were caused by lifestyle issues, none were predictable and none were preventable. They …
Life After 50
40 was supposed to be the new 30, at least according to Sheryl Crow. I'm not sure if that was true because I can't compare my 40s to any other 40s I've ever had because I think I only get to live each decade once. I know that I tried to live my 40s as …
Selfish
I've always gotten a little smirk out of the Rick Nelson song "Garden Party". Years ago I never knew why the chorus resonated with me. Then I went to a white gown party and I stayed a while. If you ever go to a real blow out white gown event and stay a while, you'll …
Divorce
I was completely paralyzed on the right side of my body. I couldn’t speak. I had enough cognitive ability to understand what had happened to me but not enough ability to solve simple problems, recognize shapes or read a paragraph on the sports page. I didn’t realize it at the time, but on December 20, …
A Thanksgiving Reflection
Thanksgiving is slow. I am thankful for that. We prepare a traditional meal from scratch. We forbear consumption while awaiting its completion, enduring agonizingly wonderful smells. We serve the meal in serving dishes. Then we gather around a table, pray and eat. We share the meal with others, usually those closest to us. There is …
Salve for a Wounded Soul
I was driving home at sunset when I noticed a flock of geese cup their wings and glide down to the water. They were ready to take a rest after a busy day. It was then that I realized how disconnected I had become from the natural world. That was about to change. …
Programmed Backwards
Human beings are sometimes funny people. Take me, for instance. I sometimes wonder if I'm programmed backwards. I blog. I do this either because I might have something helpful to say or, perhaps, because I merely think I might have something helpful to say. Maybe I just fancy myself as an author and I take …
Daniel’s Ashes
The fire raged, all around me, even though I had taken care to avoid it all my life. I'd done all the right things and taken all the right precautions but, still, I was trapped. The fire consumed me. As my flesh melted from the flames, I was powerless to stop the inferno. My life …
reflections of a flawed man 