Voices

Every high school sport that I have been a part of or attended over the years always has the same thing happen.  It is known as Seniors' night.     The night that all graduating seniors are recognized and honored for what? When you break it down, each senior is being honored for being himself. Whether they have contributed to the team over the years or this is their first, each one gets honored.   What would happen if we honored others for just being...them?  Could it be that community, unity, cooperation and gratitude may just make a comeback? Simple ideas for honoring others. 1. Send a personal thank you note There are few things more uplifting than checking the mail and finding a hand written note of thanks.  Choose a ink color other than black or blue.  I like using green.  It shows that you have taken the time to show your appreciation. 2. Spend your time We live in a day where we "do" lunch.  What if we went back to "eating"...

Most insects have what are known as compound eyes.  According to biology online, "As the name suggests, compound eyes are composed of many similar, closely-packed facets (called ommatidia) which are the structural and functional units of vision.   The number of ommatidia varies considerably from species to species:   some worker ants have fewer than six while some dragonflies may have more than 25,000." The internet is humanity's compound eye.  One story can be seen by millions, and even billions, across the globe.  In a day of fake news stories (which is a nice way of saying lies) you must be vigilant to make sure that what you put online is beneficial.  Here are some tips to remember when you are online. Three Simple Tips to remember as you live online 1. Once you post it, you can't take it back Like the words that we speak, our posts on the internet are out there for good.  You may be able to delete what you see, but with instant back up, q...

I was newly married and on the phone with someone I had never met in my life.  Near the end of our conversation I heard these words, "I love you."  To this day I still do not believe it.  This person did not know me and I did not know them.  Sure, we knew about each other, but really did not know one another. We all want love.  We all want to be in a place where there is safety to open our lives up with someone who will accept us, warts and all, for who we are.  We want people to care enough for us to challenge us to excel.  Yes, we all want love. But do we value love enough to give it to others, constantly, faithfully and fully.  I think this is where some of the breakdown in our culture lies.  What we want does not translate into what we value.  We do not value love.  We want it all for ourselves, and we expect others to provide it, yet we do not reciprocate let alone take the initiative to show love to others.  One no...

I was walking down the stairs one Sunday morning into the baptistery after giving the final instructions to the baptismal candidates.  As I stepped down I was reminded of one more thing.  I turned and look back to tell them the step were really slippery so be careful as they came down....and there I went, down.  My foot had slipped on the stairs.  I knew better than to turn, talk, and try to step down into the water at the same time, but I was dumb and I paid the price for it. We are headed into spring and many of us will be picking up sticks, maybe doing some digging and as the year goes on leaf pick up then shoveling snow.  Let me give you a few tips on how to save your back, knees and hip joints.  Simply put, you need to turn your toes. 1. Look where you want to go. Turn your head first.  Make sure that where you want to turn is free from anything you could twist your ankle on or damage your knee with a misstep. 2. Turn on the heel while l...