Scott Hoffman took his two sons, Christian, 9, and Stephen, 6, sledding Sunday afternoon.

He went to the grocery store for his wife, Darcey, and carried the food into the kitchen.

"I guess I'll take the dogs for a run," he said, heading out the door with their three pets.

I've written before about my late stepmother, Alyce, who always said, "I'd rather wear out, than rust out."

She lived by that saying, spending her time caring for her family -- offering advice to her often bewildered stepson -- volunteering for her church and community, almost to the end, at the age of 83.

I wish Scott would have had the same chance. As it was, he spent his last Sunday the way he spent most of his spare time -- taking care of those he loved.

Scott deserved another 50 years, at least as much as any of us do. He was just hitting his stride when he was called from this life Sunday afternoon, at the age of 33.

Maybe his memory will help us make the right choices when it comes to how we spend our precious days on earth.

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Callers to 345-7874 will notice a new message, identifying it as our Reader Feedback line, and a new emphasis on its original purpose: an opportunity for readers to comment on legitimate issues of concern.

The Speakout line was never designed for taking anonymous potshots at individuals, whether it's God or President Bush or the guy who sells junk food.

Those kinds of calls draw almost unanimous condemnation from longtime readers.

At the same time, there are other instances when unpopular issues should be raised.

So, we'll ask callers to put the Reader Feedback line to better use. Please offer your own original thoughts; don't just repeat something you saw on television or read in a book somewhere.

One call per opinion is enough. Repetitious calls won't increase the chances that the call will be printed.

We'll listen to every call, and share the best ones on this page.

And, we're also asking Open Forum contributors to show some restraint as well. We have a limit of 250 words per letter, but that limit has often been waived when we thought it was appropriate.

And, while some papers limit writers to one letter per month, we've been much more generous.

One thoughtful letter per week from each writer should be enough.

And, finally, some of the best Open Forum letters and Reader Feedback calls offer opinions that make a difference when it's time for our local elected leaders to make important decisions.

We're probably not going to solve many of life's persistent questions on this page.

But please keep writing and calling. We'll give it our best try.

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Among my earliest memories was watching John F. Kennedy taking questions at televised press conferences. Even a second grader could tell that he had a great sense of humor.

So I was looking forward to watching Meet the Press on Sunday, when Tim Russert went to the Oval Office to ask President Bush tough questions, among others, about his service in the National Guard.

We were in the usual scramble to get ready for church, but I flipped on the 5-inch portable TV on top of the refrigerator.

It was an infomercial for the Magic Bullet food processor.

I'll probably be ticked off every time I whip up a fruit smoothie.