I Lost A Friend

I was on my way to lunch today when I got a call on the cell phone. Five minutes earlier a friend had passed away. Unexpected, well not totally unexpected. He was my high school English teacher. He had a few health problems and was recovering from a bout of pneumonia....

Don’t Be Casey At The Bat

When you’re looking for ideas, value every idea that comes your way. Ideas may everywhere, but each is worth more than you can ever pay. You are constantly being bombarded by ideas. Admire each idea as the precious gem that it is. You remember the poem about...

A Black-bordered Letter

It’s an old tradition from the German side of my family. The envelope had a black border around it. That was a sign to the post office and anyone getting the letter that the letter was about someone dying. It’s much better than calling someone and telling...

Death and Tears

It’s been a hard year with several friends passing away. Now I lost a family member. I find writers fall into two clichés when they write about death. One is they have the main character work through the seven stages of grief. The other is the hero is consumed...