Leaf Season On a cold and brisk November day, the leaves kept coming down as the wind blew harder. I gave up raking leaves and went in. The next day was like the movie, Ground Hog Day, where the same scenes repeat. I raked, blew, gathered, ported, and dumped leaves, and by the end of … More Leaf Season
Decisions Heading deep into the desert, we reached a simple green road sign in Needles, CA that read, “99 miles to the next gas station.” The sign was strategically placed at a small intersection where a lone gas station sat amid nothing but drifting sand and desert. This was a decision point for travelers, and … More Decisions
Get Out of the Way In my twenties, my husband and I had the opportunity to meet the Pope. Though I was not Catholic, I was nonetheless excited because though we’d been stationed in Italy, we’d not yet made it to Rome. We, along with others from the Catholic and Protestant military chapels in Italy, … More Get Out of the Way
What Is Your Legacy? In years past, I was lucky to be acquainted with a lovely lady who was a generous giver. By generous, I mean that she didn’t try to give grand things or huge amounts of money to people; she tried to find a way to give small things to lots of different … More What Is Your Legacy?
Just-In-Time Delivery On a recent trip to one of the big chain stores, I was really annoyed that, for the second week in a row, their famous “just-in-time” delivery system failed. With all the bar codes, magnetic strips, QR codes, and all their ways of tracking what is bought and what needs to be restocked, … More Just-In-Time Delivery
Backdraft In the early 1990’s, the movie “Backdraft” portrayed the very real dangers that fire fighters face when fighting building fires. A fire will consume all of the oxygen in a room, and if more oxygen suddenly floods the area, perhaps from a window opening, the oxygen causes the fire to explode. Essentially, the new … More Backdraft
Used One of the most memorable scenes in the book, Tom Sawyer, is where he’s painting the fence. His friends walk up, and he brags about how much fun he’s having painting the fence. His friends start to ask for their turn, and for awhile, Tom just won’t give up painting. Then, he hooks them. … More Used
Pride A story was once told about one of the largest tankers on the ocean. The tanker detected a light in the distance and signaled to what appeared to be a smaller ship to change course. The signaling continued between them, but the tanker captain refused to change course, and the signal in the distance … More Pride
Backseat Drivers We had spent months planning our trip. Our hotel reservations had been made. The car was cleaned, full of gas, and all the luggage was loaded. We began to pick who would sit where. I was relieved to not be driving and selected a seat in the back of the car. We … More Backseat Drivers
Need A Guide? My drawer was stuck. It had been sticking and slipping to the side for a couple weeks. Even though I knew it wasn’t working right, I’d ignored it until it was completely broken. After some tugging, the drawer came open. That’s when I discovered that the track that guides the drawer was … More Need A Guide?
