"He touched me, O, He touched me,

And O. the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened, and now I know

He touched me, and made me whole."

A beautiful and... Read More

Though they say the holidays are for children, I guess I'm an exception. This season of the year excitement starts to bubble inside me. I look forward to getting together with family and friends, the special fellowship around the dinner table (more about that later!), the late-night gab fests,... Read More

“Musick has charms to sooth a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”  William Congreve (1697).

You have probably thumbed through many magazines and books looking for tidbits of information that promise to... Read More

Suggestions for Surviving Any Holiday of the Year

The holiday decorations are up, the family’s coming in a few weeks, I passed my last physical with high marks, and the children are all doing well.  Life is good, even for an old codger like myself.  But you know, a... Read More

Two young men were in a battle during the days of the Viet Nam war.  Bullets were flying and bombs were exploding.  But all of this didn’t seem to faze one of the soldiers.  When his friend asked how he remain so calm, he replied that it reminded him of home!

Do you feel... Read More

I don't pay much attention to the so-called generation gap.  It’s my opinion that the generations are more alike than they are different.  I believe there’s a child in many adults and a wise, old man in many children.

But there’s one generational difference I can’t... Read More

A baby is born completely helpless.  Someone must provide for its every need.  Yet if it is to survive, there are certain things it must eventually do for itself.  One is to breathe.

Lungs are complex organs.  But simply put, they take a gas that your body needs to get... Read More

“I’m dying of thirst!”  Well, maybe you really are.  Even if you don’t feel thirsty, your body could already be seriously dehydrated.

What is hydration anyway?  Where did that name come from?  Hydra is the name given to a constellation of stars, actually the... Read More

Imagine calling your doctor and hearing him prescribe, "Watch two comedy videos and call me in the morning." This prescription is not as far out as it seems. In fact it is based on some of the latest medical research and also a text of scripture found in Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart does good... Read More

It was December 23, 2024 when my wife and I and our three young children boarded a merchant ship at the Port of New York and began what would be a month-long voyage to the Port of Karachi, Pakistan.  (I don’t have space to tell you about the storm we ran into when we were just two days... Read More

I have one brother and two sisters, and my wife has three sisters.  Between us, we enjoy a large community of brothers-in-laws, sisters-in-law, cousins, and . . . well, you get the idea.  I may have many relatives, but I still value my friends.

Over the years my friendships have... Read More

I passed her in the supermarket.  She was going one way, and I was going the other.  I was pushing my shopping cart and she was sitting in the child’s seat of her mother’s cart.  I was in my 60s and she was not even one year old.  But, being the doting grandfather type that I... Read More

When was the first time you heard the expression, "Good Grief”?  The young in heart will recognize it as one of Charlie Brown's favorite expressions in the comic strip, "Peanuts."  But the experience of grief is not for the comics.  Though grief is a common and even a necessary... Read More

I don't know what time of year you're reading this, but when autumn leaves turn brown and crunchy under my shoes and there’s a nip in the air, excitement starts to bubble inside me just thinking about the holidays ahead.  I look forward to getting together with family and friends,... Read More

Have you had anyone "mess up" you life yet? You know what I mean when I use the word "mess up." It means someone has done something that affects your life and changes it against your will. I've had that experience twice in my lifetime. True, I survived but, to be honest, not without some... Read More

There was a time when life was simpler, a time when most people lived on farms or in small towns.  Back then most families had a garden, and spring meant plowing as soon as the ground was dry enough.  The first things planted were usually potatoes and peas.  Nowadays a family is... Read More

It was the first week of January. My wife and I were new members of a national name health and fitness center and had gone to the club for our regular work out. As the attendant swiped our membership cards, I commented on the fact that the place was jammed. It appeared that every piece of... Read More

Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s my life, I’ll live it the way I want to.  A person has to die sometime”?  Younger and less experienced people sometimes talk that way.  There is no doubt that ultimately we each have the choice of how we will live our life.  And while it... Read More

Lately I’ve been keeping my hands in my pockets more than usual.  It’s because of the black stuff called dirt under my fingernails.  My hands look like this quite often here in Florida.  Maybe yours do, too, if you belong to... Read More

“Turn left.” “Turn right.” These are not the words of a “back-seat driver” but the voice of a skiing guide directing a blind student down a mountain slope. The visually-impaired skier carves arcing turns down the steep slope. He follows his guide in perfect synch. The guide calls rhythmic... Read More