I must have been 6 or 7 years old the summer I spend with my dad’s Aunt Mary & Uncle Aldo (Doe Doe). They lived in the country outside Carlisle, AR, just down the road from the house my grandpa & dad built. I remember the first morning, before the sun came up, Uncle Doe …
Tag: Scripture
Looks Official
This mailer caught my attention the other day. It appears to be important. Afterall it’s my “second notice.” As I opened it, I noticed the official looking type of font, similar to the IRS. But, down at the bottom, in fine print it says, “Not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental agency.” I wondered …
God School: The Big Idea
For years I mistakenly thought I had a lot of good ideas. In fact, when they worked, I wanted everyone to know who had the idea. But since I have retired and started writing Today’s Good News, I recognize the ideas, the memories, the scripture pops in my mind are from Him. I call these …
Lesson From The Farm: He Used A Shovel
I was a freshman in college when I learned this lesson. I was helping dad on the farm that hot summer. I remember the morning I slipped quietly into the house. Everyone was sleeping, I thought. It was still dark when I eased into bed. That was precisely when the alarm clock went off. Time …
Lessons From The Farm: Preparing For The Day’s Work.
I remember those early mornings, just after sun-up, my head still groggy from not enough sleep… with a grease gun in hand. This was the ritual every morning. If something moved or turned it had to be greased. It was not a glamorous or exciting task that created interesting conversations. In fact, it was messy, …
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Everything Started Off Great, Then #*@###!
It was just a simple thing like nailing the board when… pain took over my life. My finger was pounding. This led to throwing the hammer, putting my finger in my mouth and words from the gutter came roaring out. As my finger was throbbing, I asked myself, “How could this happen?” Isn’t this like …
Lessons From The Farm: The Coffee Can of Nails
It was a milestone of an era. Everyone I knew kept a coffee can of nails. There were all types & sizes… roofing, finishing, 10-penny, and framing nails. And they were bent. But why keep bent & used nails? Why not throw them away? My parents, my friends’ parents & families had experienced the Great …
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A Day Of Remembrance
“Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Ma j. Gen. John A. Logan declared it should be …
All My Essentials…
I remember the morning, it was June 18th, my first real day of military service. There were some 200 young men walking down the line in a big warehouse, with men behind the counter asking each man what size we were. From underwear to socks, shoes/boots, uniforms, hats…everything we needed. And it all got stuffed …
Lesson From The Farm: Compacted Soil…
It was a week or so after we had planted the soybean field that I noticed the tire tracks across the field. The new bean sprouts had burst through the soil…except where I had driven across the newly planted field. Yep, those seeds never came up. When I drove across the field I thought, “What …