It is highly unlikely I’ll ever be rich or famous, however, I’ve been fortunate to cross paths with a few folks who were one or both of these. Louis Satchmo Armstrong had no idea who I am, but I knew his name well. He was one of my father’s favorite musicians. Dad built a Heath Kit home stereo system that sat in the corner of our dining room. When Dad was home the house filled […]
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Independence Day 2021
I first published this in 2021. It seems more relevant than ever given the contentious political, religious, and actual climate climate this summer. Do we really value liberty and justice for all? Or only those who can wield the most financial influence? I wonder how much longer we’ll be the land of the free and home of the brave. I’m rerunning this so I can spend some time with my family. This Sunday we celebrate […]
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Father’s Day 2021
Another year, another Father’s Day. This year Father’s Day is adjacent to Juneteenth Day. To acknowledge the importance of fathers and address the horrendous consequences of slavery for fathers and society, I’m combining a tribute to fathers with a shout out to several folks who work to equip men to be good father figures. Slavery hasn’t ended; it’s merely transformed into new ways of preventing people from being fully free to thrive. Juneteenth, aka June […]
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June and Juno
June has always been the official changing of the seasons and weekly routines for me. In my youth we didn’t get out of school for the summer until sometime in June. In June Mom brought the kiddy pool up from the basement and set it up for us in the back yard. June brought lazy days reading on the porch swing, riding bikes with friends, begging to go to Huntington Beach west of Cleveland, and […]
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Commencement Day
Perhaps we should reclaim the old tradition of calling the day one receives a diploma Commencement Day. That seems to better define what that day means in the life of a new graduate. We’re deep into the season of graduations. Proud parents and grandparents gather in stadiums or large indoor venues – or around a screen on an electronic device to watch daughters and sons, or grandkids, or cousins or siblings proudly walk across some […]
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