Commentary

Share your memories like a home-cooked meal!

September 9, 2026   ·   0 Comments

During my pensive moments, as I contemplated my mortality, I have been hand-held by some fond memories. I was reminded about the best memories of a person’s life, like the birth of a child, a wedding, family vacations and teaching our kids to ride a bike.

Embracing things and people that make a difference

We try to take care of ourselves and our own families. But we always have an eye out for our fellow men and women – our brothers and sisters. We support those left out in the cold, drowning. Even when resources are thin, we try to help. I have read that the middle class is the largest group of “givers” in our society. The average folk, with often limited funds and time, step up and deliver, time and again.

My blessings are not mine to keep

While flipping through my mental Rolodex of blessings I came to a stark realization – my blessings are not mine. I am lucky to be surrounded by a loving family that includes my wife Kim, and children Lexie, Liam and Kyleigh. My extended family of in-laws and a handful of friends round out my circle. Simone Sinek once said that life isn’t beautiful because of the things we do or see, but “because of the people we meet.”

Burdens, trust and the ‘economy’ of a higher power

We’ve been encouraged to bear one another’s burdens. If we truly can do that, we embrace the truth and learn to trust. Religious doctrine aside, we’re asked to love others, to be righteous, honest, genuine and at times, altruistic. Humans are also trustworthy, but we’re quite guarded. Trust has taken a beating over the past decade and we’ve lost faith in our political leaders, large corporations, and others in our greed-based money economy.

Words have the power to shape our lives

We are a verbal species and our words are everything to us. Every language has its own nuances so it’s important to not only use the correct terms, but in the correct way. Despite our large vocabulary, misunderstandings are commonplace. The content and structure of our language all contribute to how our message is received and perceived.

We have obligations in exchange for our blessings

We are blessed to be here, free to live our lives to the fullest. Unfortunately, we often squander such a blessing, or “change our tune” in our latter years. Wisdom will definitely improve one’s perspective on things.

We are a catalogue of billions of bits of data

Everything we do or think is produced by the human brain. Sitting on our shoulders is the most complicated, and mysterious object in the universe. And I have to wonder why it’s so extraordinary, operating in rather ordinary human beings.

Listening to the ‘silence,’ my old friend

As I sat enjoying my morning coffee I closed my eyes and let the sun kiss me on my cheeks. I closed my eyes and was struck by the unusual quiet, the silence of it all. No wind to rustle the leaves, no animal sounds, no whir of residential a/c units.

Resilience is one of humankind’s strengths

Some say that resilience is much more than survival; it’s endurance with direction. Yet how often are we mere mortals lost, without a map or compass to guide us? When every rock, tree and fork in the road looks the same, what is it that keeps us moving? Resilience, and of course, persistence.

Will our collective end be just a ‘whimper?’

T.S. Eliot once predicted that the world will end with a whimper, not a bang; that society will quietly, pathetically fade into nothingness. Now, his bleak 1925 poem was a commentary on the world’s post-war despair and cultural collapse. But that’s not true today is it?

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