That could have been me! I found myself thinking a few hours after an incident occurred in our neighborhood. I wonder if someone will be around to help me when I need it? In much of modern community life today, especially now when so many of us are quarantined, sequestered, homebound, locked down (or whatever your term for the situation is), we are inside, oblivious to what is happening around us. Under such isolation, how can anyone know when another person needs help? “Huh?

I’m thankful that I live in a country that affords me great freedoms, of expression, of worship, of opportunities to better myself, and of so much more that people of other countries far different would die for. No matter how turbulent, divided, muddied, and poisoned the political waters are at the moment, I’m still privileged to live in the greatest country on earth. I’m thankful for so much more, but time and space won’t allow me to keep listing them all. The act of giving

Readers of this blog know by now that I’m a bibliophile, I love books and reading them. Granted, I’m selective in what I read, but within certain categories I read avidly. I must be selective in my reading because there are just so many books to choose from. Therefore, I also seldom re-read a book, although I have done so with a few. (So many books, so little time!) As Sir Francis Bacon famously said, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be ch

Well, the new year has barely begun, and I’ve been thinking about and beginning to act on my reading. In fact, I received a magazine in yesterday’s mail that included two thought-provoking articles about books and reading. I got two books as Christmas gifts, both history related. And I’m sure that my writing and researching during 2019 will involve a lot of reading on many different topics, to say nothing of the numerous books I’ll read throughout the year for, well, just the

Happy New Year to all the readers and followers of this blog. A new year is also an opportunity to evaluate what was done in the past and to make adjustments as necessary. Often, however, it’s good to find someone to help us do those evaluations and make the changes that we determine are necessary. I’m doing exactly that with this blog. I need and value your input. I have considered the possibility of reducing my posts to once a week. If I do that, however, I need to know whi

In an earlier, simpler time, visiting friends and neighbors was a normal party of everyday life. Sunday afternoons and holidays were special times for visiting, but it was normal for folks to “drop in” on others at any time. It was such a normal event to have people “drop in,” unannounced and without our sending them a special invitation, that people prepared to have it happen. And they wondered what was wrong when it didn’t happen. People tried to keep their houses looking r

Some people work for a large, satisfying paycheck. Others work for the public and private recognition they receive from appreciative customers or clients. And some others work for the opportunities for rapid advancement to even higher levels or the deep, inner sense of accomplishment that their jobs give them. I must admit that I’ve never been driven by a paycheck, titles and positions of prominence, the process of climbing the ladder of success, or prestigious perks that any

The much-anticipated week has come and gone, and when I look back on all that happened, it was good, a refreshing break from our routine and a time of reminiscence and nostalgia. And it all began with a pleasant surprise, something that we had not planned as part of our busy schedule. On Monday afternoon, Craig, one of my college roommates and a groomsman in my wedding (as was I in his), and his wife arrived. And talk about a time of reminiscing! We had seen each other only a

Sometimes one gets bogged down in routine. We get up (tired); go about doing the same daily tasks; eat our meals at the same time, often the same menu week after week; do the regular routine chores, following the same pattern or schedule; and then go to bed (tired), sleep, and then get up to start it all over again the next morning. But occasionally a few unexpected, non-routine events come along, disrupting that hum-drum routine and bringing a bright spot to the otherwise gr

Sages say that in a lifetime, one will have innumerable acquaintances but generally only a handful of true, life-long friends. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the friends are always together. In fact, many miles and many years may actually separate them. But when they do manage to get back together for a visit, whether long or short, those true friends will seem to pick right up where they left off when they were last together. Such is Jim Blizzard, a friend whom I first m