-
On becoming a “real man”
Loving, sensitive, trusting, and curious when I entered life in 1943, at around five years of age, in reaction to the disparaging remarks and denigrating actions by the mostly well-meaning adults around me, I unconsciously began to believe I was unlovable, inadequate, somehow inherently flawed. Little boys don’t do it like that! Let your grub…
-
Did you ever wake up and just think WTF?
There’s something happening here But what it is ain’t exactly clear There’s a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware I think it’s time we stop Children, what’s that sound? Everybody look, what’s going down? ”For What It’s Worth” by Stephen Stills In recent weeks I’ve been wondering what the…
-
My Experience of Hurricane Helene and Its Aftermath (So Far)
For the past few weeks I’ve had John McCutcheon’s rendition of the song The Great Storm Is Over playing in my mind. Hallelujah! the great storm is over Lift up your wings and fly Yes, Hurricane Helene has passed, but I’m only gradually coming to grips with the storm’s aftermath. You see, we were basically…
-
Today, May 30, is our 25th anniversary!
Happy 25th anniversary, my darling Shonnie. We’ve created a wonderful life together filled with love, intentionality and adventure, and I look forward to the next 25 (when I’ll only be 106)! A few highlights from our 2.5 decades together: 1995:We meet while training for the 1996 Austin Motorola Marathon. 1997: We enter a committed relationship…
-
My Southern Accent
When my family moved from Texas to California in 1952, I was surprised to find that the third-grade lessons in Pomona were at about the same level as the second grade in Mount Pleasant. So my classroom life was pretty laid back until the day our teacher asked everyone in the class to stand and…
-
School Daze: My Rambling Route Through Our Public Education System
One evening a week or so ago, Shonnie, Gracelyn and I watched “Dead Poets Society” together. At the film’s conclusion, I began to ponder the course of my formal education—from the first grade through college. My initial foray in the public school system began at East Ward Elementary in Mount Pleasant, Texas, in 1949, and…
