Tonight I sat watching and listening to the news, and needless to say it was pretty dismal. However, two sequential stories caught my ear. They appear to be completely unrelated, but in fact, they both contain the seed that grows into almost all problems we confront.

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All of life is about words. Words that hurt, words that heal, and words that are carelessly thrown away, leaving lasting scars and lingering forever. The problem is that words have meaning, and I'm not just talking about what Webster says.

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The Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case was, quite possibly, inevitable. After all, there were two things we knew going it. The first was that the majority of the Supreme Court is old white guys, most of whom are Very Conservative. The second was that this issue is (although it shouldn't be) seen as a collision of religious beliefs.

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Fair warning. I don't think there's anything remotely political or social or significant contained herein, so it's probably safe for you to read this. Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to. That's fine too. It likely won't make you any smarter, but I honestly don't think it will make you any dumber either.

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There's likely nothing very profound in this, so if you're seeking insights or deeper meanings you're going to be disappointed. I'm going to ignore one of the major issues in my life, so that's off the stove too.

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Many many people in the world are hurting. I'd like to say that I feel their pain, and in some cases I do. I know I'm not supposed to be selfish, but at some point I have to stop accepting their pain as my own. At some point I have to take care of myself ( Read more... )

Berlin was divided, but there was not yet a wall. In an effort to expel the western allies from the city the Russians had declared a blockade, cutting off West Berlin from the outside world. The only connection left was by air...and it forced the United States to commit to feeding a city of millions by air. Many concluded it couldn't be done, ( Read more... )

My mother wasn't perfect. Like all humans she had her share of flaws. Some of them were reflective of her own childhood, which was tumultuous to say the least. Some of them came from growing into adulthood during WWII. Some were things she repeated because she honestly believed them to be correct. I have no idea if somebody in my family ( Read more... )

We won't talk to you, because you're being emotional, because you aren't listening, because you won't stop denying that you're the problem, just like all other men. We don't like the idea that you've confessed you're the problem, because we know it's not true. In fact, we're offended by the idea that you acknowledge you're the problem...because ( Read more... )

A friend of mine...well, an internet friend whom I've never actually met, recently posted a note that her father received a certificate for completing the first 6 weeks of his treatment program for cancer. I hope his treatment works well and that he prospers for a long time ( Read more... )