Tri-City Ledger -

A given in this country over the years is how Americans rally when faced with crises. We have a propensity for taking care of each other when the chips are down and the results are high. Possessing a “servant’s heart” is never more evident...

One of the more difficult things for assertive people to do is to take a “pause for the cause.” There are times when we actually become victims of our circumstances. Events seem to rush us, press us, move us along at a pace that is injurious to...

I met Alexander Hart in the year 2000. I was part of a volunteer program for prisons. At the time Alexander was in his 46th year in a maximum security prison. He was convicted at age 20 to life without parole. His crime? He was an accessory to murder...

Emil lived in a small village in Southern France. He was employed as a stone cutter, toiling daily at the task of reducing huge boulders to brick-size stones. Steadily he would cut and chipped with a wooden mallet at the mountain of boulders,...

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He...

There is an old story about the Touchstone, a small black pebble that could turn common metal into pure gold. The Touchstone was located on the shores of the Black Sea, lying among thousands of other pebbles which looked exactly like it. But there...

One of the more difficult things for assertive people to do is to take a “pause for the cause.” There are times when we actually become victims of our circumstances. Events seem to rush us, press us, move us along at a pace that is injurious to...

One of the more difficult things for assertive people to do is to take a “pause for the cause.” There are times when we actually become victims of our circumstances. Events seem to rush us, press us, move us along at a pace that is injurious to...

Quency B. Adams (not his real name) was a Prisoner of War during the Viet Nam conflict for five years. He shared with me the inhumane treatment that his captors inflicted on all the prisoners. It was horrific to say the least. I met Quency, several...

The Sea of Galliee and the Dead Sea both have the same water source. The water that flows into both of these seas originates in the Hermon Mountains among the roots of the cedar trees in Lebanon. It flows down clear and cool to form the Jordan...

The letter in Ruth’s mailbox was unusual to say the least. There was no stamp on it and no return address. Immediately upon entering the door to her home, Ruth began to open the letter. The letter read: Dear Ruth: I will be stopping by for dinner t...

Our emotions are our best servant when they act on our own behalf. When our emotions are on our side, we learn to take life in stride. Personally, I battled emotional extremes much early adult life. What you find below are some things that have...

Recently, I was in Oklahoma visiting with the grand kids. It brings to mind the thoughts of raising children. Talking about raising them now is easy. Doing it fifty years ago, was anything but easy. Many of you know what I mean. Let’s just say, I...

What is your deepest fear? There is the fear of an ability to cope, fear of failure, fear of loss, fear of rejection, fear of poverty (lack), fear of inferiority, fear of intimacy, fear of control, fear of success, and a fear of “they,” just to...

I trust you are having a great week. I am working on a new book on developing and building social capital and ran across this in my data base. I thought it might be something that you would enjoy. Thank you for being my internet friend…wish we had...

Are you ready for this one? Do you believe offering and receiving words of appreciation makes for a healthier brain and body? The feelings of gratitude we experience or provide create an ever-increasing sense of well-being. Studies have proven that...

POSITIVE PEOPLE are healthy folks. They are not only positive because they are healthy, they are healthy because they are positive. POSITIVE PEOPLE take things as they come. They don’t stew over situations they can’t do anything about. They accep...

It was not a perfect trip…but it was an excellent one. After 92 days, 13 states and 7,200 miles I am home. What awesome sights. What a beautiful country we live in. Thinking of excellence got me to thinking about how that is generally not good enou...

Do you realize that every time we speak, we speak twice? I don’t mean that we speak with a “forked tongue.” What I mean is that the words that come out of our mouths convey our thoughts, while our tone of voice reflects our attitude. What we...

In a previous book entitled: Traveling Tips Along Success Road (Upword Press, 2008), I wrote this about the anatomy of success: SUCCESS IS not everything but striving to succeed is. It is having a badge of honor of giving the most we have and being...

As you read this, I am in the midst of a 4-month, 6,000 mile trip through 19 western states. Presently, I am in the beautiful state of Utah. I am traveling back to all the cities west of the Mississippi River where I played pro baseball. I have been...

As I write this I am in the middle stages of a 100 day, 7,000 mile motorhome trip across the western states. My goal is to revisit those cities where I played during my professional baseball career. Obviously, I will visit many great sights and locat...

Things we did as youngsters can have a way of weathering the years and stay in our minds as if they happened yesterday. One particular occurrence that has remained with me all these years, occurred in a science experiment in elementary school. The...

As I write this I’m in the 16th day of my 100 day trip. Making my way across west Texas, headed to Carlsbad, NM. Excited about the trip ahead. Beautiful sights…and meeting some great people. Life is good!! I’m blessed. Lou Most of us would...

I believe it is not all bad when beginning something new and different to use the performances of others as a means of measurement. Others in similar situations establish the ground rules. They provide a yardstick. But once we know the rules, we...