Odin remembers. For a young airman named Clifford, this was it, the fiftieth and final run his country would ask of him, the final mission of his second 25-mission hitch. Statistically, the chances of making it through one full complement of twenty-five missions were about 25% in 1943. Three of every four airmen had their…
Read MoreI was probably five or six years old when I began the practice of what became my first regularly-repeated prayer. I would often be awakened by the sound of my Dad firing up his company (City of Roanoke) car, before it was light, to head off to another day of work, and each time I…
Read MoreA friend recently shared with me a piece of correspondence he had had with a young lady whom he had known since childhood. In her note to him, she shared her anger and frustration with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe, and one of the things she said and reiterated is something I’ve heard…
Read MoreA few weeks back, I surprised my wife with a trip to New Orleans, a trip made even more exciting by the arrival, from Colorado, of her sister and brother-in-law. The Big Easy was fun; been there now, done that, no need to really go back. I had engaged in this small conspiracy for a…
Read MoreToday, I turn 60 years of age. Just writing that seems surreal. I know, “60 is the new 40”, but wow. Just…wow. And that’s all I have to say about thaaaa-aat. I decided that the best way I could celebrate would be to “count my blessings”, in the words of the old hymn; to “name…
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