I walked into Starbucks this afternoon to do some work.  I'm cold from outside.  The heater in my car isn't work.  I'm too cheap to fix it.  I only need heat 1 month out of the year.  There's one seat open that I see in the place.  It's next to the drafty and often opened door. A man dressed in black signals the chair is free, as if welcoming me.  I put my stuff down.  Then go order.  I see another chair away from the door (warm).  I go to gather my stuff.  A small nudging voice (in my head) … [Read more...]

This morning I turned on the TV.  I tuned to Comedy Central... my source for news and current events.  I prefer Colbert to Stewart.  But The Daily Show was coming on, so that's what I'd watch.  The show came on.  I wasn't greeted by the smarmy Stewart who's come to be a little too entertained by himself.  I was greeted by irony. Jon Stewart spent nearly 10 minutes talking from his heart about the somber events that took place on Saturday.  A Federal Judge and Congresswoman were gunned down, … [Read more...]

Halloween is big business.   Five Billion Dollars big!   Wow!   And guess what?   It's not a kids holiday.   More is spent on adult costumes than for kids ... by a lot!   The market is booming. Here's a question... WHY?    What has driven a holiday that was for kids into an extravaganza for adults? For 364 days a year adults play grown-up.  We put on the brave faces of ... husband, wife, employee, customer, boss, father, mother, friend, Christian (I'm writing from Texas).   This is the … [Read more...]

When's the last time you  gave specific, meaningful encouragement from someone?   What does encouragement mean to you?  Encouragement has come to be seen as a touchy-feely word.   That's interesting.  It means:  To Make Strong.  To fortify. When steel is forged, it is encouraged.  When rubber is vulcanized, it is encouraged. My wife and I send each other an encouragement email every Wednesday.  In five years we've forgotten fewer than 5 times.  We have over 500 emails encouraging one … [Read more...]