Someone (I conducted a brief online search to discover who, but I found no definitive answer) once said, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” The current (and ongoing for only God knows how much longer) public health crisis has closed not just one but many doors for a lot of people, and I haven’t been immune to that plight. For just a few examples, I speak monthly in the chapel program of a local private Christian school. Now all schools are closed, quite conceivably

Often, we cannot truly appreciate someone or what they have experienced or done until we’ve walked the proverbial mile in their shoes. In the case of people who lived long ago, however, that’s often impossible, so we have to experience vicariously what they experienced. We can only read well-written accounts of what they did, but good writing nonetheless can help us develop a deep appreciation for their experiences. I have been gaining a similar appreciation for the “bomber b

For fifteen years, we had sped past the place just off I-95 in Pooler, Georgia. Every time we had driven to visit my in-laws in Florida and every time we returned home, we passed it. And every time we did so, we commented, “We’ll have to stop there some time–when we have more time.” But we were always in a hurry. Only a limited amount of time. Had to get to Nannie and Poppop’s house. On the way back, had to get back to work. Had to mow the lawn. Had to get back before dark. T

I was impressed the minute the man got out of his truck. My appreciation for him grew by the minute. When the installer arrived, two young boys exited his truck with him. I greeted them and said to the man, “I see you brought plenty of help with you today.” After returning my greeting and shaking hands with me, the installer said, “These are my grandsons. They’re shadowing me today to begin learning the trade.” He then turned to the boys and said in a low voice, “Introduce yo

Sometimes great writers have some interesting advice and insights about the craft of writing (and many other topics). Here are a few examples of what some famous writers had to say. Lewis Carroll: “Begin at the beginning . . . and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” (Turtle Soup, Alice in Wonderland) Herman Melville: “To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.” (Moby Dick) Mark Twain: “Classic. A book which people praise and don’t read.” (Pudd’nhead Wil

He was born on this date in 1928, about 11 months before the big crash. Most of his formative, pre-adolescent years were within that life-changing economic period, and much of his later life reflected it. His adolescent years were under the shadow of World War II. Until his last years of high school, the only president he and his classmates knew was Franklin Roosevelt. Ralph was the fourth child of Blaine and Omega, the first to live beyond infancy. He later was joined in the

As we approach the Veterans Day weekend (and the actual date on Sunday, November 11), we owe a great debt of gratitude to everyone who is a military veteran for helping us maintain our freedoms. Perhaps no one said it better than one of those veterans, Charles M. Province. (Please note that when he uses the term soldier, we should also add the words sailor, airman, Marine, and Coast Guardsman because every veteran of every branch of our military played his or her part.) It is

Today, we take a look back at four historic events that occurred on this day, September 14. Copyright (c) 2018, Dennis L. Peterson #heroes #lessonsofhistory #Militaryhistory #History #education #heritage

All of us who are old enough to remember the event, remember where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the news of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. (The scary part, to me, is that an entire generation does not remember!) I was editing a book manuscript for a client when my sister called and tersely said, “Turn on your TV. Just turn on your TV.” Three days after the attacks, while Americans were still trying to come to grips with what had happened to

This week marks my wife’s third week of school already, not counting the week of in-service training, and the stories she shares when she gets back home every night are a mixed bag. Some are just downright funny. For others all I can do is shake my head in amazement, either at how tech-savvy today’s kids are or at how they do or say things that we’d never have dreamed of saying. But all of them bring back memories of my own days in school. Back in the “good old days,” eons an

Here are some of his one-liners that are among my personal favorites. They are as true today as they were when he quipped them. “The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.” “There is nothing so stupid as the educated man if you get him off the thing he was educated in.” “A fool and his money are soon elected.” “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.”

But Dr. Moses Hoge, a contemporary of Jackson, declared, “To attempt to portray the life of Jackson while leaving out the religious element, would be like undertaking to describe Switzerland without making mention of the Alps.” Jackson left the military after the Mexican War and entered a career in education at Virginia Military Institute. But he proved to be only a mediocre teacher. Perhaps his greatest deficiency in that career was that he knew only one way of teaching. If

In our finite sense of time and events, we often lose our sense of perspective. We often mentally compress time and events without realizing that much more happened in the intervening time span than we think. Such it is with the invasion of Normandy during World War II. We recently commemorated the June 6, 1944, Allied landings on Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold, and Juno beaches that began the push that brought down the Third Reich. We then somehow jump mentally from the carnage al

In lieu of my writing about a single topic for today’s blog, I decided to share a baker’s dozen (i.e., thirteen, for some people who might not be aware of the meaning of that adage) assorted quotations that have made me think over the past several months. I hope you enjoy at least one or two of them. If you do, please let me know. Maybe share one of your favorite quotations with me, and I’ll, in turn, share it with your fellow blog readers. Books and Reading “Books are the ca

Today, I want to focus a little well-deserved attention on another such unsung hero: Dr. William Shippen. Shippen was born in Philadelphia on October 1, 1712. His father, Edward Shippen, was a successful merchant in Philadelphia, but William decided to buck the expectation that he would follow in his father’s footsteps, studying medicine instead. He eventually built up quite a large practice in the city. In fact, he became so well off that he was said to possess three great t

Since that year, however, I have included among those whom I honor on Memorial Day one of my own family. My nephew, Captain Justin Peterson, USMC, was killed in Iraq on September 30, 2006. That puts the entire Memorial Day holiday in an entirely different light. Now Memorial Days will never be the same. I offer the following information in this blog posting to Justin’s honor. So you think that you know about Memorial Day? Take this little quiz and see how well you really know