When Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse the Southern army had 200,000 well armed, well fed, well equipped soldiers. The Union army had not delivered a final fatal blow on the battlefield. Historical scholars maintain the war came to...
There is an old shell of what was once a triple story house in Worcester, Massachusetts. There is not much left of the third floor and the two lower floors have been gutted. In front there is a large sign that reads, “Quality...
A neighbor down the street who has a professionally cared for lawn stopped to chat with another neighbor who has intensely labored to also have a beautiful lawn. During the course of a short conversation the one from down the street told the hard...
In the classic film A Man for All Seasons a young man asks Sir Thomas More for an honored position. Sir Thomas tells him to “be a teacher.” The young man objects. If he becomes a teacher no one will ever think...
The sounds of words are wonderful when the very sounds of them describe their object or intent. Words like “roar” or “bark.” Or the word “maliferous.” It just sounds dark and evil to say it. Then there is another, “insalubrious.” ...
Writing letters of recommendation is a wonderful opportunity to say good things about people. It is an opportunity to help others continue to grow. Have you ever wondered what kind of recommendation we would need if we had to apply for salvation? Would we...
If you are a precise, persnickety, pernickety, perfect, particular person there is a website just for you. It is www.time.gov. This wonderful location gives you the official United States time. You can set your time zone. It even tells you just...
Some days are just “ordinary” sorts of days. Actually though one person’s “ordinary” is another person’s “extraordinary.” If we had to go to work in the morning and do what someone else ordinarily does that could be pretty extraordinary for us. If...
The words to the familiar hymn begin, “For the beauty of the earth,….” Those words create a mental slide show of snow-capped mountains, flower filled meadows, pastel sunsets, rainy mornings and snowy evenings. The beauty of the earth is all of the above,...
When making a purchase we contemplate many things. We wonder if the item will really work. We wonder how long it might be before it breaks. The sales person always tells us how wonderful the company is in honoring their products. ...