I stopped, closed my eyes for a brief second and then reopened them. I would have to try again. I wanted to know exactly what chapters were going to be covered in our upcoming exam, but the teacher said he couldn’t understand where I was going with my question. “This- This- This- This new material, … More Grateful to be forged by fire
Nine years ago tomorrow my 79-year-old dad got on a bike to get a little exercise, was three blocks from home when he collided with a car, suffered blunt force trauma to his neck, and then died almost instantly. There have been many times I’ve wanted to change the reality of that description above. Sometimes … More Gratitude versus Greed
Hello there! As we focus on gratitude in the month of November here at Heart of the Matter, let me say this: I’m grateful to you for reading and allowing me the privilege of sharing a very personal family story. Thank you so much for joining me for the last two installments of the “Disappearing … More The Disappearing Girl – Part III
“One person caring about another represents life’s most significant value.” Jim Rohn I was struck by a moment of utter, age-related joy a few weeks ago which then turned to age-related horror. Given that we are discussing gratitude this month what better time can there be to share. Please note however, I AM poking fun … More Still Younger…With Some Wiser Tossed In
My wife and I shuffled out of the hospital exhausted. We both still wore our wrinkled work clothes, my dress shirt was untucked, my tie loose around my neck, and we had dark circles under both our eyes. We had been through the ringer. Our daughter who had come into the hospital emergency room looking … More The kindness of strangers
I told a rather light-hearted tale on my personal blog this morning. A brief glimpse into what I remember as a rather courageous act for someone who was not often willing to stand up, or stand out. I remember it mostly as a first glimpse into what being bold and brave might feel like. At … More Defeating Trauma With Courage
When I was very young, I would crawl into my mother’s lap wearing my onesie pajamas and beg for a glass of milk and for her to read to me. I had a series of favorite books, everything from The Poky Little Puppy; Clifford, the Big Red Dog; The Little Engine That Could; Corduroy; The Berenstain Bears; to Katy and … More How a curious little monkey changed the world
The playground as a kid could be a cruel place. We all tend to have a horror story or two about getting picked last to play kickball or so-called friends ratting out our secrets to the rest of the kids playing during recess. Saying all that, friendships seemed to come much easier when we were … More Finding your people
When we brought our daughter home from the hospital as a newborn, her skin was a yellowed jaundice color and she had problems keeping anything down. Infant jaundice usually occurs because a baby’s liver isn’t mature enough to get rid of bilirubin, a yellow pigment of red blood cells, in the bloodstream. The doctor told … More Collecting seashells
We lived in the Philippines when I was a kid. To connect with family back home, my mom used to send tapes to my grandparents. I remember making at least one of those tapes. My mom, brother, sister, and I were up in my bedroom siting on the two twin beds, the door was closed … More Good Mood of the Soul
The Heart of the Matter 