Presence is the Perfect Present

'Tis indeed the most wonderful time of the year when everything is magical, when anything is possible. I was honored to experience both recently, as I wrote in the Dec. 22, 2011 Fort Collins Coloradoan, and as you'll hear by clicking on the link below.


Presents 12-11.mp3


I'm forever grateful for inexplicable miracles - one of which is your continuing support. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! God bless us all, including our dearly departed who are undoubtedly closer than we think.

Branching Out With Gratitude

A snow-felled tree punches a hole in your house and your reaction is...? If you're like most of us, your response would naturally include a string of four-letter words punctuated with unintelligible screams. As I explain in my Thanksgiving Day 2011 column published in "The Coloradoan," Ms. Emmalie Conner took the high road when that very thing happened to her Oct. 26, as you'll hear by clicking on the link below:

Branching Out 11-11.mp3


I am thankful for friends like Emmalie, family like Auntie Em, and for people like you who get gratitude.

"Happy Thanksgiving!

Staying Positive about "Postively Pink"

I'm one of the lucky ones, and I know it. Having undergone the knife nine years ago in order to remove calcifications from my left breast, curing breast cancer is near and dear to me. However...click on the link below to hear what I wrote on the subject for the "Coloradoan" on Oct. 27, 2011:


Breast Cancer 10-11.mp3


Donate, donate, donate. My sister Beverly and millions like her are alive today because of your kind support.

Let's do continue to raise awareness, and at the same time: Buyer beware!

I so appreciate your time. Thanks for stopping by!

Grasshoppers Gone Wild!

If you thought there were more grasshoppers around Larimer County this summer, you thought right! Listen to what I think, as written in "The Coloradoan" Sept. 22:


Grasshoppers 9-11 .mp3


Who knew something so destructive could be so instructive?

Thanks for your time, as always.

When I was 21...

It was a very good year. Not as good - as in moral - as my daughter's, though. Listen to why as I wrote in my August 25, 2011 "Coloradoan" column by clicking on the link below:

Drinking 8-11.mp3

Here's to another round of discussions on drinking!

As always, thank you for stopping by.

Panhandling in The Fort

"Brother, can you spare a dime?" is netting some, some big bucks. Click on the 3:37 link below for my two-cents worth on the subject, as seen in the July 28, 2011 "Coloradoan" newspaper:


Panhandling 7-11.mp3


Honestly, I'm grateful I haven't had to beg for money on the streets...unless you count helping my girls hawk Girl Scout cookies, that is!

Thanks for checking in.

Breaking Windows Gets Our Attention

A recent slate of broken windows in Fort Collins has residents wondering, "What's happening in - and to - our city?" Here's an 3:26 audio version of my opinion as it appeared in the June 23, 2011 Coloradoan:


Windows 6-11.mp3

Is that which we fear in others what we can't/won't face in ourselves? Makes me think of Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror song. Gosh, it's two years Saturday already since he unexpectedly passed away. There's a huge wake-up call there, huh?

Hey, thanks for taking timeout to reflect with me.

Graduating to the Marine Corps

Watching your firstborn graduate from high school is bittersweet for most parents, but following that up a couple of weeks later with his/her leaving for boot camp, well, I don't think there's a word for that. Still, with Kristin and Jonathan Heston's help, I somehow managed 550 on the subject. Click on link below to hear the audio version of my May 26, 2011 "Coloradoan" column:


Johnny Heston Marine 5-11.mp3

The good news is that when Son/Daughter #2 graduates - just as when they were born - we're much more comfortable with our role. It wasn't until the second time around that I fully realized commencement ceremonies are for mostly for us, and that's okay. We should celebrate our contribution in seeing a kid through 13 years of public education. Yea, us!

Thanks for all you do to support your kids; perhaps, the most important of which is letting them go.

Grandin truly grand in her advice

Dr. Temple Grandin has become perhaps the world's most well-known person diagnosed with autism. After reading a bit on the subject, I wonder if I'm not a bit autistic myself. Click on the link below to hear more (as per my April 28, 2011 column in "The Fort Collins Coloradoan"):


Grandin 4-11.mp3


There's no doubt in my mind that visionary Grandin would be famous, autism or no. Like the lady says, "The world needs all kinds of minds."

Yours and mine, included. Thanks for visiting!

R-word indicates user is uneducated

"End the Word" is a simple awareness campaign in which participants pledge to stop using the word "retard" to demean those with developmental disabilites. My March 24, 2011 "Coloradoan" column offers some insight from those who know. Click below to hear more:


R-word 3-11.mp3

Listen, nobody's taking anything away from anybody - other than hurt.

Free as a bird

It is as my "Coloradoan" editor said, "Words can't express the sorrow" of losing your mother. And yet, I try:

Dorothy 2-11.mp3


Me and mine remain unspeakably sad that our beloved Dorothy is no longer "here." Our comfort is in knowing she is truly free, as with wings, and with us now as God is: Here, there, and everywhere.

Recycling is of value

If you're an avid recycler who likes telling others what to do (in a nice way), does the Larimer County Solid Waste Department have a volunteer job for you! Click on the following 3:38 minute link to learn more about Recycling Ambassadors:

Recycling 1-11.mp3

Man, and I thought R.A.'s were only found on college campuses! Hope they, too, are up on their three R's, so they can teach every resident on their dorm floor the art of reusing, reducing, and recycling.

Thanks for your time - and for your diligence in always recycling when/what you can!