Train Time: No. 1
(Train Time is a concept where I will try and compose and publish, all from my phone, while on the train… This one didn’t work so well because I published it the next day) Finally time to go home. Today, it’s the 5:20 bound for Flossmoor Illinois ( though I don’t go that far). As…
Train Time: No. 2
Today, it’s the 5:40 bound for Homewood. So…I have learned ( or rather been reminded) that “doing” is better than “not doing”. This may sound simple… and potentially silly… But it’s important, and sometimes hard to remember. Let’s look at a positive thing. Let’s say I am thinking about… writing in my blog… (to keep…
Train Time: No. 3
Today, it’s the 4:35 bound for Homewood ( God… I feel lazy…). Its always nice when real life supports your ideals and beliefs. That friend I wrote about on Monday who was having a crappy day did what I wrote about on Tuesday: He helped himself get back on his feet and started doing something.…
Train Time: No. 4
Today, it’s the 5:05 bound for Homewood. I was working on a users PC the other day and noticed a little scribble on a piece of paper stuck to the wall of his cubical. It read: “Feelings are just that… feelings, and do not necessarily reflect reality.” Naturally, on a good day, when your feeling…
Train Time: No. 5
Today, it’s the 5:40 bound for Homewood. Sometimes, it’s the simple things that elude us. My wife introduced me to one of her favorite inspirational speakers: Brene Brown, specifically her discussions on Joy. What I like about speakers like this is that what is spoken about is seldom anything so difficult that you must research…
Train Time: No. 6
Today, it’s the 5:20 bound for Homewood. Today proved to be an interesting day. It wasn’t great… It wasn’t terrible… It was more like: educational. Today’s entry will have a lot to do with what I wrote yesterday, in “Train Time Pt 5”, so review that if you don’t remember or didn’t read it. ………………………….…
Facing the unknown…
Three of the hardest things I have found to deal with in life are: Accepting the fact that if you are having a problem or a challenge in life, your challenge is no different, not harder nor easier than anyone else’s. Learning how to tell when you are being challenged or when you are facing…
How to train your Dragon or, would you like some whine with your blog?
I guess I would like to begin by apologizing to my readers who have been complaining that I haven’t been updating my Quotable Quotes. In all fairness the title of the section is Quotable Quotes not Daily Quotes but I agree, more often is better than less often. So in response I will make an…
A tale of two wheels…
I have been riding for over 25 years, off and on. Although some people I know would tell you that I have never ridden because my Motorcycles have never been big enough to be considered real bikes. Right now, I ride a 1972 Honda scrambler, 175 CC’s of raw Japanese power. I’ve had this bike…
The battle for positivity
Why is it that fear and doubt can creep into your mind seemingly so much easier than faith and belief? And when it gets there, fear and doubt, why is it that it has so much to cling to; seemingly endlessly holding on to your every breath. And in truth, what do most people really…
One day at a time…
One day at a time; I’m told I say it a lot. I must because my daughter has it tattooed on her foot! I should explain: My youngest daughter is 23; she lives at home while she is going to college. She is not huge into tattoos like her brother is, but she does have…
It is what it is…
I realize going into this piece that this phrase is one of the least popular collection of words around. It probably ranks in popularity with phrases like: Your significant other saying: “I just want to be friends” The I.R.S. saying: “We’re here to help” And your doctor’s office calling and saying: “Your test results came…
Come together… Right now… Under me…
To begin with, I probably should not even be writing this piece; this being a political article or sorts. I am not a politician or a political commentator. I do not spend hours studying the political happenings of the country or researching this politician or that congressman. Although I voted in the last major election,…
I do…
As the Supreme Court takes on the issue of same sex marriage I find myself filled with an urge to discuss a topic that always gets me into trouble in my household. It’s not that I have a radicle opinion; on the contrary, I feel my opinion is very logical. I think this just happens…
Here we go again
After the tragedy at the Boston marathon this week, I admit to being a bit torn as to how I wanted to respond. As a blogger and writer I wanted to drop everything, rush to my keyboard, and begin the creation of a glorious and wonderfully worded piece blasting the malefactors who caused all this…
Have it your way…
I subscribe to an online political cartoon website called: www.Caglepost.com If you like political cartoons, this is the place to go. Anyway… when I saw a new collection of cartoons about Burger King moving its corporate headquarters to Canada after purchasing the Canadian donut chain “Tim Hortons”, I needed to find out what was happening.…
A letter to the President…
This is a letter I sent to the President discussing my issues with the present school loan program. A version of this letter was also sent to my state representatives in Washington. In a land that boasts justice and equality for all, the laws governing the payment of these loans are far from fair. Ultimately,…
Dear Congresswoman Robin Kelly – Part 1
Since my daughter’s school loans matured I have made it a personal quest to try and address and resolve the issues with this country’s federal school loan program. In an effort to expose the horrible way this is being managed, and the terrible conditions under which our citizens are being placed, I decided as an…
Where is God – Part I
I don’t honestly believe that I ever really lost him. Rather, I feel that as I have grown older my needs have changed. One of those changes is the need to better understand who God is and how he really works in my life. To take it a step further: the need to understand the…
Where is God – Part II
Let’s start with the basics:, Let’s set the foundation that, in my belief system, God created the heavens and the earth. All that you see and all that you are are his creations. Why and how long it took to put it all together: that is another topic for another day. Ultimately I believe that…
Where is God – Part III
(Parts one and two can be found under “Category Archives: God and Jesus and Me”) To me, the next and most obvious place to visit in our search of “Where Is God” is to discuss the concept that God is nowhere! To be specific: God simply does not exist. After all, if we are…
Where is God… Part IV
You will notice as I continue this dialog, that I have tried to keep this God thing as generic as I possibly can. I have not said “The Christian God”, or “The Hebrew God” or Allah or any one of possibly hundreds of other names and titles one could apply to an almighty creator of…
Where is God part V – The Mormons
I have decided that if I’m going to write several dialogues about as many churches and religious organizations that I can think of, I ought to at least have the decency to begin with my own chosen faith. And, before I began, I think it only fitting that I begin with a disclaimer. It…
Where is God Part VI {Next}
It has been quite some time since I started these articles asking the question “Where Is God”. Granted, life does get busy sometimes. Everything from changing jobs, to losing jobs, to finally finding the job of my dreams; these things tend to occupy a person’s mind and attention. There has been family drama, life drama,…
Train Time: No. 8
Today, it’s the 4:50 bound for Homewood. The whole point of this “Train Time” is to write about something that stands out in my day, while on the train, using my phone, before I get off the train preferably. Well: Sometimes the dominant thing is my health; but I don’t want this to turn into…
Here We Go…
And so it begins… What more than half of the country feared, and most of the politicians, as well as ALL of the pollsters felt could NEVER happen: Donald J. Trump is officially the President Elect of the United States. …You will notice that I did not say President… Only President Elect: This is because…
United we stand… Even if we choose not to!
© Provided by WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post Melissa Schlag, a town official in Haddam, Conn., kneels for the Pledge of Allegiance during a meeting July 30 at the Haddam firehouse. (Sarah Gordon/The Day/Associated Press) I’m sorry… But I have had about as much as I can stand…
Dear Mr. President
Stop trying to compete with everyone that disagrees with you.
“United we stand”… or not…
Three simple words: “United we stand” In a perfect world these words represent what this country stands for; a group of people under one democracy standing together, strong and proud, fighting for what’s right for our fellow Americans, our country, and hopefully for the world. It is hard to read these words and consider these…
Turning Point
In 1861, after years of tension in this country, our fledgling union began perhaps its first real test: At 4:30 am on April 12, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. This has traditionally marked the beginning of the Civil War. The war that followed was not only a tragic loss…
The battle for positivity
Why is it that fear and doubt can creep into your mind seemingly so much easier than faith and belief? And when it gets there, fear and doubt, why is it that it has so much to cling to; seemingly endlessly holding on to your every breath. And in truth, what do most people really…
Where is God – Part I
I don’t honestly believe that I ever really lost him. Rather, I feel that as I have grown older my needs have changed. One of those changes is the need to better understand who God is and how he really works in my life. To take it a step further: the need to understand the…
Train Time no. 14
Today, it’s the 4:50 bound for Homewood. Some days are harder than others when it comes to having a good attitude, keeping your chin up, keeping the faith… However, there are two or three things that tend to help me along the way by lifting my chin and reminding me that it is usually not…
Train Time – #18
Today it’s the 5:40 bound for Homewood. … and this is today’s revelation: The lord does hear prayers… and he does answer them. How can I be sure… I mean REALLY sure: As in scientific proof like the modern world wants to have for just about everything? The truth is, I can’t… But I BELIEVE…
Train Time – # 19
Today it was the 4:50 bound for Homewood, and I’m already here just finishing this up. “The lord does hear prayers… and he does answer them.” From my last post “Train Time – 18” In my last entry we spoke a lot about the fact that the Lord hears our prayers and how important it…
My Thought Is:
And remind me in your arms why we choose this path… Why it was then and still is the best path… The right path… The path that, if walked together, will always be wonderful. What’s done is done… We have many tomorrows to be grateful for… Nothing is impossible, with God in my heart, and…