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Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012
I want to be just like you (02/08/12)
My mother had beautiful hands. They were small and delicate and her fingers were perfectly tapered and ended with nails women today pay a small fortune for. My hands are perfectly functional, but rather large, with oversized knuckles. My fingers are long without a hint of a taper, but I can grow the same nails, although I can seldom be troubled to maintain them. ...
Who goes there? (02/01/12)
It had been a particularly challenging week and I was delighted when bedtime arrived Friday night and I could turn the radio alarm clock to the off position. Even without a nudge from that appliance, I started waking up, right on time, but repeatedly settled back into a deep sleep, reminding myself over and over again that it was Saturday morning and I could sleep as late as I wanted...
Lead me to your door (01/25/12)
Over the past several weeks I have spent an inordinate amount of time helping to develop step-by-step instructions for a computer program at the McCook Daily Gazette that allows paginators to send their page directly to the platemaker, a process known as CTP...
This world is not my home (01/18/12)
As a child I dutifully stood with my classmates and, hand over my heart, recited the Pledge of Allegiance with patriotic fervor. In fact, watching the fifth graders paint a mural based on "America the Beautiful" earned me the ire of my third-grade teacher who grew weary of me constantly ignoring her at the front of the classroom so I could look over my shoulder and watch in wonder as purple mountains and amber waves of grain appeared from the mixed tempura paints reserved for the upper-classmen. ...
Let mercy lead (01/11/12)
"It's my money and I want it now!" is the cry on the television each night as wanna-be opera stars sing the toll free phone line of a company that would be happy to give you your money now, for what I am sure they consider to be a nominal fee. As the credit card bills and department store chits come in from the holiday shopping sprees, certainly there are some who are anxious for a windfall that will allow them to pay off their the green and red debt and are willing to part with that nominal fee in order to get out from under. ...
I hereby resolve ... (01/04/12)
'Tis the season to take a good long look in the mirror (just not first thing in the morning on Jan. 1), to see if there is any room for improvement. If the mirror doesn't reveal any needs, just ask friends and family, they're sure to have more than one suggestion...
What a ride! (12/28/11)
Growing up in the metropolitan Denver area meant that we had a choice between two amusement parks, Lakeside Amusement Park and the more well-known and much lauded Elitch Gardens, my personal favorite. I write of the original Elitch Gardens, complete with shaded boulevards, gorgeous flower gardens (hence the name) and well-shaded family picnic areas. (I've never dropped a dime at the "new" Elitch Gardens, though my children love it.)...
Lay down your arms (12/21/11)
Shameless commercialism takes center stage, beginning on the Friday following Thanksgiving and continuing through the closeout sales that mark the end of the year. It's almost as if everything we gave earnest thanks for on the fourth Thursday in November is suddenly not enough. Not good enough. Not new enough. Not pretty enough...
Take a closer look (12/07/11)
Deconstruction. In this day and age of reuse, repurpose or recycle, deconstruction is all the rage. There may be a treasure trove in the old siding or in the 100-year-old glass, still unbroken after a century of battling heat, cold, rain, sleet and winds that would bend the strongest of branches...
Protection from unintended consequences (11/30/11)
"Oh, I love Mac's Drive Inn. I guess I'll never get to eat there again," was the lament of a former McCook resident who broke all ties with the community when she divorced her husband. She texted the remark to her 8-year-old daughter who was eating at Mac's at the time, her ties unbroken by the broken pledge between her mother and father...
In everything give thanks (11/23/11)
Danny and I started a list at the beginning of the year, detailing notable events worldwide. Danny was of the opinion that 2011 was going to be a year to remember. I really hate it when he's right. Eventually, I had to give the list up. After filling more than three pages with earthquakes, insurrections, wildfires and flooding -- before even half of the year had passed -- I just couldn't take it anymore...
Where do we go from here? (11/16/11)
Most of the favored traditions in the old neighborhood were well-steeped in alcoholic beverages. Every adult turned a blind eye to the ages of those imbibing as well, as long as they weren't younger than 14 or so. In fact, the drunkest I ever got in my entire life was at the tender age of 16, in full view of the adults that had settled this particular neighborhood when the homes were first built in the 1950s. ...
It matters (11/09/11)
The verdict is in. Conrad Murray has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of pop legend Michael Jackson. Halfway across the nation, a stay of execution has been granted to Hank Skinner, sentenced to death for a 1993 triple murder involving his girlfriend and her two adult sons. The stay is temporary while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decides whether or not a new state DNA law, SB122, signed by Gov. Rick Perry, applies in Skinner's case...
Preparing for new life (11/02/11)
When news that a new life is expected, everyone gets busy. There are diapers to stockpile, baby afghans to crochet, crib sheets, receiving blankets, a car seat, a crib, sleepers and bottles to acquire. For the more affluent, a room must be made ready. Blue or pink? Bunnies or cowboys?...
Freckles, faults and foibles (10/26/11)
This is the time of year that gave me fits as a young mother. With three children requiring costumes for the traditional Halloween party at school, costumes that could also be worn while they trekked up and down the streets of our neighborhood, the stress of Halloween was nearly my undoing each year...
It's a question of choice (10/19/11)
It is an all too common malady of modern man. So much so, in fact, there is a saying (which I have come to abhor, having heard it too many times to count) that springs from the malady of assumption. The saying is a play on the word "assume" as in "I assume..." Using the first three letters of the word, the saying warns the speaker that to assume is to make an ass out of you and me. I cringe to hear it spoken aloud...
Who can stand? (10/12/11)
At the time, I thought it was the worst thing that would ever happen to me and I was nearly undone by the entire experience. In February 1972, I was an overnight "guest" of the good people of Eureka County, Nevada, sleeping on an un-sheeted, blue tick mattress that was covered with numerous unidentifiable stains. ...
Waiting for the day (10/05/11)
Built in the 1950s, the curved streets of Danny's childhood neighborhood sat adjacent to Centennial Race Track in Littleton, Colorado. It is now a mature neighborhood, those gleaming brand new homes showing their years, the saplings planted with so much hope now fulfilling that long ago promise, a canopy shading nearly the entire length of the street. ...
An open invitation (09/28/11)
I am a total sap. If the Trix rabbit had shown up at my childhood breakfast table, I would have slid my bowl over to him and let him use my spoon. That is, if I had been able to persuade Mom to buy a name brand cereal. I always root for the underdog and if there is any good thing to be found in even the worst situations, I seek it out. ...
Testing one, two, three (09/21/11)
Beep, beep, beep. Designed to call the populace to attention, the signature beep, beep, beep of the Emergency Broadcast System soon became just another annoyance in modern life, initially inspiring alarm -- alarm that undoubtedly contributed to an entire generation's fatalistic outlook on life...
How much paint do you need? (09/14/11)
Old houses need a lot of tender, loving care. Especially those made of wood. And, since Danny has spent the past three summers reconditioning his 1969 Ford 3/4-ton truck, complete with forest service-approved utility bed, also reconditioned, our old home place was starting to look a little ragged around the edges...
Ten years later: What have we learned? (09/07/11)
These are not happy memories. The visions from that day, nearly 10 years old now, still chill us and many of us would like nothing better than to let this anniversary pass, the wounds still too fresh for picking. In the newsroom, however, everyone has been helping to compile collective memories for a special tab and I prepared five radio broadcasts for KNGN 1360 AM, recalling columns written immediately after the terrorist attacks and in the weeks and months following...
Turn on the radio (08/31/11)
I don't remember listening to the radio much as a youngster. Dad had an extensive LP collection and loved all genres of music, so when we listened to music, we listened to those. But, in 1968, I did have an AM transistor radio, a Christmas gift that year if I remember correctly, and I listened to it for as long as the battery lasted...
Hold on tight (08/24/11)
Danny's love affair with motorcycles started when he was quite young. Perhaps inspired by the Haney's collection of Harleys across the street, he made up his mind early to ride as far, as fast, and as frequently as he could, with the wind in his hair...
Start with the man in the mirror (08/17/11)
If Britain's prime minister David Cameron is serious about restoring that nation's moral compass, as he stated following nearly a week of riots and mayhem there, he needs to first look at the man in the mirror. This is not a personal attack on a public figure. It is a statement of fact that can be applied to any man or woman -- every man or woman...
Do all you can, wherever you can, whenever you can (08/10/11)
The images were haunting, the locale foreign and mysterious. The people were different from any I had ever seen before, and not just because of their dark skin and unusual clothing. It was something in their eyes, a haunted look in some, a frightened look in others while some contained that thousand yard stare that reveals more than it hides as they focus on nothing, having seen far too much darkness in their days...
What a difference a year makes (08/03/11)
I have always marveled at how much a baby changes during the first year of life. Vulnerable from conception, let alone first breath, they never fail to bring a tear-tinged smile to my face at first meeting. I know that their helplessness will soon be replaced by tiny hands reaching to touch everything in their world, first testing it for its viability as food for the body. ...
Dealing with minor irritants (07/20/11)
I spent a recent lunch hour scouring the shelves of a local discount store with murder on my mind. Our Boo Boo kitty has apparently rented out space to a local family of fleas and they are prolific reproducers. He's miserable, and so am I. He is frequently stopped in his tracks to do battle against their feasting and I am afflicted with itchy ankles. Apparently, Danny has a natural immunity...
You never know where you'll meet a Samaritan (07/13/11)
Memory lane opened up recently and I took a trek back to the high desert of Nevada, riding in the back of a Nevada state trooper's vehicle. We were bound for Eureka, a wide spot in the road some 77 miles from Ely, Nevada, where we had topped off the gas tank in Danny's 1959 Rambler, lemon yellow with a 6-inch black racing stripe right up the middle...
Mercy falls like rain (07/06/11)
If Mom hadn't mentioned the iron that day, I would have walked right past it without a first thought, let alone a second one. But, she warned me off, saying "I've been downstairs ironing all day, so that iron is hot. Don't touch it." Of course, that meant I had to touch it. ...
One last celebration? (06/29/11)
The cacophony of fireworks has already begun. The requisite photograph of youngsters buying fireworks has already been taken, with Page One publication due any day now, perhaps even today. The sale ads for the discount stores all feature the latest and greatest in outdoor grills and grilling supplies (but the single raffle ticket I bought to win a new one is no doubt in the bottom of the trash heap by now, since no one has called to congratulate me on my good fortune)...
I used to drive (06/22/11)
I have never been very athletic. I squeeze my eyes shut if anyone throws anything at me, including a softball or a basketball. And running? Well, I have avoided that heart-pounding, sweat-inducing exercise all of my life. A brisk walk suits me just fine, and I've even been known to power-walk the aisles at the local discount store. (It helps me avoid those all too important to the store's bottom line impulse-buys.)...
Call me Lazarus (06/15/11)
The chorus from an Air Supply song, written by Graham Russell, has been running through my head for the past couple of days. Actually, it's just that first line, "Here I am, the one that you love." I'm sure I knew all of the words back in the day and turned up the radio each time it came on. It's a love song, with the one who is loved asking for "just another day," promising that he in turn loves her "in so many ways."...
Letting go of the shovel (06/08/11)
We seem all too ready to believe the worst about someone and are all too eager to dismiss any favorable reports. A case in point is found in yet another forward in my e-mail inbox. This one was introduced with the incendiary (to me) headline "Don't buy Pepsi."...
Getting what we need (06/01/11)
Not realizing the significance at the time, I failed to write down the official beginning day and date of what would become and continues to be the great and ongoing saga of Danny Lee Cribbs and Dawn Elizabeth Carlson. But the 40th anniversary will take place sometime in the next couple of weeks. I think...
A long road home (05/25/11)
When we first left Wichita, bound for home, the miles couldn't go by fast enough. The decision to return to Colorado had been made much like the one that had landed us in Wichita in the first place -- on the spur of the moment, with no forethought and zero preparation...
Places to go, things to do (05/18/11)
Many years ago, during a job interview at an insurance agency in Worland Wyoming, I was asked, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" The inquiry was met with a blank stare. I've never been one to set goals, so I had no satisfactory answer to offer that day and left the interview in the same condition I had arrived in -- unemployed. Maybe the question is of particular importance to those in the insurance game...
Turning away from wrath (05/11/11)
When the Twin Towers fell September 11, 2001, video of fanatic Muslims cheering in the streets across the Middle East added another layer of pain to the newly broken heart of the United States. And, although the death of Osama bin Laden wasn't unwelcome news in this nation nearly 10 years after he ordered those attacks, I was immediately dismayed to see Americans and people worldwide cheering in the streets because of his demise...
List-making back in vogue? (05/04/11)
I read in a commentary once that one of the reasons small children need frequent naps is because they are bombarded by emotions throughout the day. The author stated that children experience as many emotional highs and lows in a single day as most adults experience in a week's time...
Peeling off the layers (04/27/11)
With every passing day, I inch closer and closer to becoming a woman of some significant years. It's an especially difficult transition this time of year. The weather is altogether changeable. Clouds, fog, nearly freezing temperatures greet the dawn, with bright sunshine and warmer temperatures arriving just in time for supper -- sometimes...
Waiting for the third day (04/20/11)
Although I generally enjoy traveling I don't travel often. But in October of 2002 Danny and I had the opportunity to travel to North Dakota. Patrick and his growing family had recently moved there. They were lonesome for familiar faces and so made us very welcome. Nevertheless, not wanting to over-crowd the nearly newlyweds, we checked into a motel room for our stay, a family-owned place just off the highway...
Unfailing love, unending grace (04/13/11)
When I first met Chris and Eunice Atkins, to do a new pastor story for the newspaper in August 2006, I ended up spending a lot more time with them than I typically do when covering a story. It helped that the center of the focus that day was my favorite subject, Jesus -- what he has done and is doing in people's lives throughout time and yet today...
This altar is 'choice' (04/06/11)
The numbers don't lie. According to New York City's Department of Health, nearly 60 percent of pregnancies among African-American women there end in abortion. Nationally, 37 percent of pregnancies among African-American women end in abortion. The numbers prompted Life Always to place a billboard ad, featuring a lovely little black girl in a pink dress with the caption "The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb," at the corner of Watts and Avenue of the Americas in New York City. ...
Falling into the gnat-camel trap (03/30/11)
I was intrigued recently while putting the advice page together for the paper, a daily event. Thankfully, I don't actually have to give advice to build the page. I just position syndicated columnists on the page. Sometimes, however, the temptation to give advice is almost more than I can bear...
Heaven on my mind (03/23/11)
It might be time to buy a lottery ticket. Danny says he dreamt we couldn't spend our money anymore -- if something cost $1, he'd hand a single to the cashier and by the time it went from his hand to hers, it was a $10 bill and she would give him change. It happened every time...
Asking the right questions (03/16/11)
I've written about Marcus before -- the little boy I looked after when my oldest, Ben, was still a babe in arms. Marcus was the most inquisitive human being I had ever encountered, repeatedly asking "why" about everything under the sun. The first time I changed Ben's diaper in his presence, Marcus had at least a dozen "why?" questions following his initial, "What are you doing now?"...
By the dawn's early light (03/09/11)
My grandparents teased my mom and dad when they announced that they were naming their number two daughter "Dawn." It was fitting at the time since I was born at 6:18 a.m. I guess it was my dad's dad who quipped, "If she'd been born at 6:18 p.m., I guess you would have named her "Twilight." Dad was not amused. (He wasn't known for his sense of humor.)...
Are you one of the seven? (03/02/11)
My mother was an optimist. It couldn't have been fun, packing up a family of seven every 7-8 months to move yet again, but she did her best to make a game of it, once packing the lot of us into an oversized box with the promise that she would send us to Timbuktu if we didn't stay out of her way. I can still hear the childish giggles, inside and outside of the box...
Gone fishin' (02/23/11)
Our neighbor and adopted grandma Bea loved to fish. Her age and physical limitations, however, prevented her from indulging in that favorite pastime, until Danny put his mind to the problem, loaded the family and Bea into our 1973 Ford Pinto station wagon and drove us up to a gently-sloped mountain lake. ...
It's a question of faith (02/16/11)
When someone asks me a question, I take them and their question very seriously. Especially if it is a question about faith. Not too long ago, someone wrote asking if a murderer, who accepts the Lord as Savior and asks for forgiveness for his sin, will be allowed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven...
Nightmares can come true (02/09/11)
I remember waking in the middle of the night many years ago, sobbing. In my dream, our Lisa had died. I don't know how she died, I only knew that in the dream, she was dead and I was inconsolable. Once I was fully awake, the sobbing stopped, but the tears continued to flow as the fragments of the dream remained. ...
An inborn talent (02/02/11)
It is widely believed that everyone has an inborn talent, although some remain well hidden for many years. My brothers are both musicians, semi-professionally during their younger years, but it was hard for them to make enough to keep body and soul together, especially as their families grew...
Children: Our greatest vulnerability (01/26/11)
I have spent a fair amount of time poring over motor manuals in my day. As the official family "mechnic," it has often fallen to me to read repair instructions for Danny while he's flat on his back, gravel biting, dirt falling into his eyes, his wrench wedged deep in the underbelly of whatever vehicle is in need of his attention...
Let the dance begin (01/19/11)
If memory serves, and sometimes it does, the change starts to happen around sixth grade, but it is slow in coming and isn't obvious until midway through the seventh grade. Those who were once nothing more than an irritating mystery, a last-ditch playmate when everyone else was gone, are suddenly an intrigue and curiosity inspire any number of questions...
Shielding the innocent (01/12/11)
It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when I was afraid of the sound of my own voice. It's hard not to develop that fear when seemingly every time you proffer an opinion, especially a dissenting opinion, you get shouted down. In my family of origin, I learned to keep my peace in order to keep the peace...
An invisible boundary (01/05/11)
We hadn't lived in our "new to us" house very long when we discovered that the neighbors had a rottweiler. The only thing we knew about the breed was that they were very territorial and could be vicious if anyone crossed into their world. So we warned our children, then 8, 9 and 13, to stay on our side of the fence...
Bidding 2010 adieu (12/29/10)
It's time to put 2010 to rest, and some ways, it seems like it's been a very long year. Conversely, I cannot fathom where the time has gone, although according to my work log (better known as my photo file) 2010 has been busier than usual. In addition to the events I try to cover each year, like the National Day of Prayer, the Community Lenten Services, new pastors and new churches, 2010 also brought stories of dog rescues, hero dogs and unintended death. ...
Don't forget the ending (12/22/10)
It's easier to predict what the Nebraska winds will bring than it is to predict what direction any given conversation will take in the newsroom at the McCook Daily Gazette. For example, the question "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" was posed several weeks back. ...
Spotting a counterfeit (12/15/10)
Last month the chamber of commerce issued a warning about a rash of phony 20 dollar bills being passed in McCook. Spotting a counterfeit bill is relatively easy. So is the training on how to spot one. Bank tellers and others who handle a large amount of currency simply study the bills. ...
Chasing the light (12/08/10)
Our recent day trip to Denver was an exercise in endurance. We have discovered we are no where near 25 anymore. Once upon a time, a time we thought would last forever, we could have done a marathon trip like this, grabbed a couple of hours of shut-eye, gotten up and done it all over again. I know this to be true, because we did it. Frequently. And that was with three small children and traveling twice the distance...
Tearing down siege ramps (12/01/10)
I'm afraid I fell victim to an unrealistic idealization of what love was in my younger years. Too many romance novels, no doubt. I really wanted to be someone's reason for living, I wanted someone to be absolutely consumed by the want of me. Wow. The power. To have someone wrapped around my little finger, ready to leap to accomplish my every whim...
A job well done (11/24/10)
We celebrated Thanksgiving early at the Gazette, with everyone contributing a favorite side dish to complement the ham and turkey last Thursday. We divide break room duties monthly, by department, but when we have a big dinner, everyone does what they can to help with the clean-up. I helped our accounts receivable administrator, Deb, with the dishes...
You can't undo death (11/17/10)
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again." The children's verse teaches a hard lesson with great imagery. Even a child can see an egg -- dropped on the floor, shattered shell surrounded by clear fluid and an orb of yellow -- and know it cannot be mended...
The latest in advertising (11/10/10)
The "have it your way" ad campaign for Burger King was long-running and quite successful. And I still hold them to it, asking them to "hold the pickle" on my Whopper whenever I'm lucky enough to be in a town with a Burger King "Have it your way" seems to be the new mantra of this post-modern age. ...
Hope and change, take two (11/03/10)
Another election cycle has come and gone, just in time for the 2012 season to dawn sometime Thursday morning, Nov. 4. The hope and change promised in the last presidential campaign has given way to another wave of hope and change for some, as in "I hope we can change things back to the way they were."...
A kingdom of many immigrants (10/27/10)
A hundred years ago Ellis Island saw millions of souls -- the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breath free, wretched refuse from distant teeming shores -- disembark from the perilous seas looking only for the skyline of New York to know at least this part of their long journey was over...
Letting them go, letting them grow (10/20/10)
Even though by this time tomorrow I will be well-past middle age -- since I have no intention of living to the ripe old age of 110 -- I find I still have a lot to learn. An ongoing lesson, one I continue to have to learn and relearn, is how to free others so that they too can learn. I made some progress on that one earlier this year when our "Colorado Girls" came to spend a week with Grandpa and Grandma...
Maybe we should write this down (10/13/10)
We used to tease my dad mercilessly every time he popped a piece of Doublemint gum in his mouth. He chewed gum as enthusiastically as a cow chews her cud, with much lip smacking and gum snapping, his pleasure evident to all. Mom, on the other, although she could snap gum better than anyone else in the family, could also conceal a stick so well that no one could tell she even had gum in her mouth...
Look beyond the headlines (10/06/10)
Breaking news. All conservatives are not Christians and all Christians are not conservatives. I wanted to make that clear because I do not want people drawing the wrong conclusion about Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger who admitted to posting an abbreviated version of a black woman's recent address before the NAACP in order to draw attention to that agency's alleged racism in July...
Taking it one step farther (09/22/10)
It was, in a word, refreshing. The speaker Sunday night at Memorial Auditorium, Pam Stenzel, did not mince words. She didn't soft-pedal her message but allowed her passion full expression as she presented fact after fact after fact about the dangers of premarital sex and promiscuity...
Scoring a perfect 10 (09/15/10)
When I was a seventh-grader at North Arvada Junior High, I watched the custodian help the gym teacher assemble several pieces of some rather odd-looking equipment one day. It was gymnastic equipment, I was told -- the pommel horse, the balance beam and my personal favorite, the uneven bars. Apparently, the school district transported the equipment from school to school throughout the year and it was finally our turn...
Throwing the hook (09/08/10)
Charles Caleb Colton, 1780-1832, said, "Falsehood is never so successful as when she baits her hook with truth, and no opinions so fatally mislead us, as those that are not wholly wrong." I found this little tidbit as the teaser to, of all things, a bridge column titled "When in trouble, try to mislead."...
A cause for 'Celebrations'? (09/01/10)
The first thing I do when I get home from work is take off my shoes. I love being barefoot. I do slip on a pair of fuzzy slippers in the winter, but if the weather is warm, and I'm not required to wear shoes, my toes are out there wiggling for anyone to see...
A season of mourning (08/25/10)
"Ring the bell softly, there's crepe on the door." So reads a Victorian era poem. Crepe on the door was the indication that death had paid a call. It warned visitors to enter softly, with tender hearts, ready to help or ready to depart, whatever suited the bereaved household. ...
Hopping down the bunny trail (08/18/10)
"And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall..." The words to this Jefferson Airplane hit from my obviously misspent youth have been running through my head lately, as it seems I've been chasing rabbits. Oh, not the White Rabbit from the song, written by Grace Slick and released on the Surrealistic Pillow album in 1967. ...
Has Christianity lost its good name? (08/11/10)
Whoa. Stop the presses. Anne Rice is quitting the church. Not only that, but Anne Rice is quitting Christianity. She's not alone. According to a story from Christian Newswire, nearly 8 million Americans leave church annually. And they do it for a variety of reasons. ...
'Don't make me angry ...' (08/04/10)
Overall, I'm a pretty easy-going gal. In fact, when I admit to having a bit of a temper, my co-workers actually scoff. I assure them, in my best impression of the late Bill Bixby in the role of Dr. David Banner; "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."...
Is that what love is? (07/28/10)
Unconditional love. It's an intriguing concept. And it is often attributed to mothers and fathers, representing the deep love we have for our children, even before birth. It is also attributed to God, typically because of that most famous of all verses, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)...
It's time to grow up, just a little (07/21/10)
Another e-mail joke, detailing the differences between generations, is making its way through cyber-space, addressed primarily to people who have seen their 40th birthday. Since I passed the 40 year mile marker along the road of life long ago, I could easily relate to the comparisons...
How many opinions do we need? (07/14/10)
My sister's husband is facing a serious health crisis. But before they do anything, they are seeking a second opinion. In fact, they are at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, as this is written. I'm all in favor of second opinions. So much so that when my obstetrician determined that I needed an emergency Caesarean section in order to safely deliver my daughter, Lisa, I timidly proposed seeking a second opinion. ...
A look back to where it all began (07/07/10)
It's a foundation issue. Any builder can tell you that if the foundation of your home is compromised, the entire structure is at risk. It's why we have building codes, designed specifically for geographical areas, soil conditions, flood plains and the like, that are strictly enforced across the length and breadth of the nation. Foundations matter...
Lead, follow; just get out of God's way (06/30/10)
I like to fix things. When I encounter a situation where hearts are broken, I want to restore them. This is not a bad thing. However, this desire to set things to right has gotten me into trouble more than once over the course of my life, which shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me...
Mark the date. Or not. (06/23/10)
Mark this date on your calendar: May 21, 2011. On second thought, don't. There really isn't any point. You see, according to yet another postcard to cross my desk here at the McCook Daily Gazette, that is the date of the oft-promised rapture of the church and the beginning of the Great Tribulation...
A twist on late night's top ten (06/16/10)
I'm no fan of late night television. It comes on way past my bedtime and we banned television from the bedroom many years ago. However, I have enjoyed replays of David Letterman Top Ten lists when I catch them on the early morning news programs. He always saves the best for last and I think he may be on to something...
'.... and babies don't keep' (06/09/10)
I have held, to date, 32 jobs, including several stints as a babysitter, combined here to count as one of the 32. I have waited tables, washed dishes, tried to "make the donuts," cared for the elderly, cooked for the elderly and for school children, and did my time under the "Golden Arches."...
Life is a memory in the making (05/26/10)
Summer vacation is almost here. And I'm so excited, I can barely stand it. It's been many years since the advent of summer vacation has mattered. But this year, I find myself daydreaming of those first few days of freedom, the days stretching out before me, with routine thrown to the four winds and the whim of the moment claiming each day...
Who's calling, please? (05/19/10)
I never knew who would be on the phone when I answered it at the Nutrition Services office where I worked for several years. We served eight schools and nine kitchens, including the central bakery, and no two days were ever alike. Kitchens and catastrophes seem to go hand-in-hand. ...
Someone to count on to do the right thing (05/12/10)
A firestorm is already brewing over President Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Many are fearful of her ideologies, especially as they pertain to pro-choice issues and homosexual rights. I don't think we need to be overly concerned about her influence, or that any of the other justices on the Supreme Court bench...
Eliminating the illusions (05/05/10)
It could have been summer. More likely, it was winter. Whatever the case, we were trapped inside by the elements with naught but the TV to distract us. The clicker landed on either The History Channel or Discovery and a documentary about Mardi Gras beads...
Back to the fundamentals (04/28/10)
I'm really a little too long in the tooth to be learning this again, but apparently, I'm a slow study. Frustration has set in, even though I know it to be an exercise in futility. Perhaps it is because the garden exists only in my mind while we wait, more impatiently day-by-day, for the salvage yard to come and collect the refuse leftover from the recent truck rehabilitation. Until they do, there's no room to build the trailer and no garden space to till...
Altogether in one place (04/21/10)
It was 1956. And after years of scrimping, saving and pinching pennies until they cried for mercy, Archie and Winnie finally had enough set back to buy a house. And they went brand new, in a brand new subdivision, on the edge of nowhere (as nowhere was defined in 1956) in Littleton, Colo...
To be loved is to live (04/14/10)
Several years ago, I wrote a column titled, "Going about it backwards?" pondering the controversial issue about when life begins. In it, I argued that it may be as simple as impact, noting that with the confirmation of pregnancy, life is irrevocably changed. ...
'Yabut' just won't cut it (04/07/10)
Words like honor, respect and love can lose a little something, either in the expectations the words evoke or in the over-use or outright misuse of each one. Look at love. Primarily viewed as an emotion, the word love takes many forms in our day-to-day lives. Someone loves their job, which doesn't (or shouldn't) equate with the love they have for their children or their spouse...
Does the end justify the means? (03/31/10)
She faced months, if not years in jail, which was unthinkable. She was a wife and a mother. She was also an alcoholic. And she had racked up back-to-back-to-back DUIs. The state was done giving her second, third and fourth chances to clean up her act...
Weaving our tapestries together (03/24/10)
Danny found his spring/summer project last week. He's combining two old trucks into one refurbished vehicle, so it will once again be roadworthy and useful. It all started with the leaf springs, which were a lot harder to find than one would think. Since his truck is equipped with a heavy-duty utility bed he has no use for the bed on the "parts" truck he recently purchased and so is planning to turn it into a trailer. Should work, and will undoubtedly be equally as useful as the truck is...
Taking the tangles out (03/17/10)
Several years ago, I spent my winter evenings and weekends knitting fun fur scarves. I love them. I don't do turtlenecks well, but having that narrow, colorful, fuzzy yarn draped around my neck gives me that warm cozy feel and adds a little color to my sometimes drab wardrobe. I have several. Some I made for myself, others, of much higher quality, were handmade gifts from friends. I do my best each winter to color coordinate so I can wear one every day...
' and justice for all' (03/10/10)
I don't know how the newspaper reporter managed to put the words on paper. This was more than two decades ago, if not three, but the story continues to haunt me, as I'm sure it does that reporter and anyone else who read the story. I can barely stand to retell even a portion of it here...
Being good without God -- and does it really matter? (03/03/10)
Being good without God has become the mantra for many atheists, and they undoubtedly have a point. Atheists, agnostics and people who worship many gods or no god in particular, are in fact capable of goodness, capable of acts of kindness, mercy and even self-sacrifice. (Of course, the opposite is also true, evidenced by the table set up by an atheist group at the University of Texas at San Antonio offering pornography in exchange for "holy text.")...
Tears that transform (02/24/10)
Hollywood. The place for the beautiful people. Glittering lights, sparkling water, verdant gardens, even the tears are beautiful. You know the ones I mean. The tears that well up, and stream gently down the cheeks of the one who weeps. Beautiful tears, silently shed, carefully caught in a linen handkerchief, quickly subsiding...
The sin of complicity (02/17/10)
The heart is deceitful above all things. So much so that we can successfully hide the deepest darkness in the recesses of our hearts, buried so deep that it can't be seen. In fact, if no one comes around to shine a light on that darkness, the darkness is likely to remain, growing blacker by the day...
Dawn Cribbs
Dawn of a New Day