For most of us, one moment hardly defines our lives. So many wait, pray, work, and scheme to get their 15 minutes in the sun, only to have them, watch them pass, and then sink into bitterness, disappointment, and regret.
Tag: Life
When I Grow Up: How to become what you want to be
The point is this: we’ve got it all backward, this entire concept of becoming who you want to be. The men and women who made the most lasting impression on the world did not do so by being what they wanted to be but by doing what they wanted to do and doing it better than most.
Nova: the brief, bright life of an influencer
This is for all the lonely people wishing to be influencers. Nova means not for long A nova is a strong, rapid increase in the brightness of a star. The word comes from the latin for “new star,” because often a star previously too dim to be seen with the naked eye can become the…
What the Prodigy Said to his Progeny: a (very) open letter
Listen Children, and I will tell you the story of the pitfalls of the prodigious. I was a prodigy – not universally acclaimed but thought to be so by those who knew me. I knew before I was double digits in age what I wanted to do with my life, and who I wanted to…
Home is where the Hard is: 7 Pillars of a Happy Home
Seven Pillars of a Happy Home was originally shared on LinkedIn as Part Two of a two-part series on the home. Part One on this site can be found here. This is part two of a two-part mini-series on the home. In Part One – Home is Where the Hard Is: Seven Deadly Sins that…
Scars, but you’re worth it!
Don’t be scared. Be scarred instead. Wounds become scars. Scars become stories. Stories become inspiration. Storytellers with scars become legends.
Zaccheus coming down
I’m up in this tree That was built just for me It was planted, I don’t know, About a century ago Only God knew back then About a wee little man Who needed this tree To go out on a limb On his way back to Him. I never stood out Was lost in the…
Happily Ever After: A new way to look at a dream as old as time
Thanks to fairy tales and dreams of happiness and stability in relationships, the dream of happily ever after is the hope of every bride (and groom, as well, one hopes). I think, however, we too often fail to see the “after” part and its importance. A Personal Perspective on Ever After Our happily ever after…
Little Lou, Ugly Jack, and Prophet John: Story #1 from the collection, Character of the Song
Available on Apple Books, Barnes&Noble, and Amazon Kindle I am happy to announce the release of Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John, the first in a twelve-story series I am calling The Character of the Song. The idea is to take characters from popular songs and breathe life into them, to tell their story from…
Florida State, the College Football Playoff, and the will to win again tomorrow
The state of things at Florida State Florida State fans are angry! They hurt. They are confused. They feel they were screwed over by the almighty committee that determines the four schools to participate in the College Football Playoff (CFP). All the Florida State Seminoles did this year was win. They played the schedule before…
The Man in the Mirror is at the Crossroads
The following is what I sang to myself on the morning of my 62nd birthday this past September 28. I sang it and kept adding verses and expanding it, and it grew into this… Pay no attention to punctuation. This is poetry. Man in the Mirror at 62 You don’t look good at all you’ve…
“Can use Ju Jitsu”: remembering Mom on her 80th birthday
She was born Freda Jo Henager, on October 27, 1943, 80 years ago today. She was the first of five children for William Austin and Nova Dean Henager, and she was the first and last love of my father, William David Strother. She was only 17 when she married David. I was born barely more…
I had a dream! The story my brain told itself
I had a dream… I could remember I had a dream. It was not the noble kind like that of the great Martin Luther King, but it was a dream, and I had it. When I woke, I retraced the steps in my dream because, unlike most of my dreams, I recalled this one in…
I hate Mr. Wonderful!
I hate Mr. Wonderful. I do not hate Kevin O’Leary. Why would I? How could I? I don’t know him. I have only watched him on Shark Tank and followed him on LinkedIn. I hate Mr. Wonderful, the arrogant, self-absorbed, shock-value-laden persona O’Leary fronts. I cannot believe he is actually that person in person. It…
Mony a mickle makes a muckle
Mony a mickle makes a muckleSaid th’ Scot with a chuckleWhen his kilt a slight snag gotTh’ one 100 Sterling boughtSoon his kilt wis sae threadbareHe hud na coverage down under thereWhaur na Scot wears underwear Ye auld scots saying “Mony a mickle makes a muckle” is an old Scottish saying that means, “Many little…
The 10 Amendments: reflections on life after near-death
Somebody at the hospital confirms the news: a fatal heart attack, the type known as…the widowmaker. look for me there, by Luke Russert (writing about the sudden death of his famous father tim russert.) I just began listening to a new book on Audible™, Look For Me There by Luke Russert, on my drive into…
Word Warrior has arrived and poetry will never be the same
Word Warrior is a collection of poetry and prose. It is rife with insights, hindsight, reflections, regrets, celebrations, loss, family, friends, aching bones, breaking hearts, faith, hope, and love. The book contains a love song I wrote for Donya in 1979 and a piece of a song I wrote about a stranger when I was…
The Gilded Age of Constant Contact
By the time those born around the time of the Civil War””like social reformer Jane Addams, three-time presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan and their peers””came of age, nearly every aspect of their world had changed. Between the 1870s and the dawn of the 20th century, Americans witnessed revolutions in daily life, from what they wore to how they…
Got Them Theme Park Blues
Rollercoaster, RollercoasterGive me a rideMake me highDrop me lowToss me toToss me fro Rollercoaster, RollercoasterHere’s an asideYou’re no journeyYou’re just a rideNo place to goNor abide Rollercoaster, RollercoasterI can’t decideYou make some fussWhile you go nowhereBut you wanna take usAnd that’s not fair Rollercoaster, RollercoasterMy nerves are friedI’ll sit this one outMy familiar friendI’ve no…
Why Me, Lord: the unexpected theology lesson from Kris Kristofferson
Saying I grew up in a conservative Baptist church is the same kind of understatement as saying Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups®are the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. We were suspicious of conservatives who adhered to fewer “standards” than we did…and those standards were high, let me tell you. Why me Lord, what have…