Uploading the columns I have written over the years into the computer is an interesting adventure, both down memory lane and into my past thought processes. It's fascinating when I find ones that speak to me now. The following column was written in 2004. I firmly believe the concepts in this column. Though some of my priorities and choices change with the ebb and flow of life, like the choice to go to Nigeria last fall, I am grateful I live in a country where choice truly is the architect of our lives.   Choice, the architect of our lives   Have you ever thought about how each choice we make affects our lives and the lives of those who are around us? Sometimes, the simplest choices have a domino effect on the future. The choice can be as simple as hopping in a truck to go for a ride with some friends, or as the order of a group of people snowboarding down a hill.   My son, who was third in a group of four going down a mountain, was recently involved in a major snowboarding accident. Because he was third, the last person witnessed the accident and ended up staying with him until the ski patrol showed up.   One change in the order and it … [Read more...]

I have been a journalist for many years, beginning my published career around 1990. Though I haven't written articles for publication the last year-and-one-half, journalism still runs in my blood and my thoughts. In the early 1990s, I wrote columns for the Winsted Journal, which I enjoyed tremendously. That was before blogging became a part of our culture. The following column is one I wrote in February of 1995 during a tough time in my life. There were struggles in my marriage, and I was about to sell my hobby farm. It is a column of gratitude and acknowledgement of the blessings in my life.   Daring to dream Do you remember what you wanted as a kid? I mean really wanted? The hopes and dreams that filled your heart and mind? Sometimes we have a tendency to get so wrapped up in our world that we forget what we really wanted. "This bill has to be paid, or this project needs to be finished." What happens to those hopes and dreams? Do they disappear because we "grow up" and realize how ridiculous they seem? Do they disappear because we decide it's time to live in reality? It's like Robin Williams in the movie "Peter Pan". He forgot what was important to him. … [Read more...]