Words, words, words
Words can make a difference in our lives. They can hurt. They can make the day special, one we will always remember. A word can change the course our lives. They can change our political and religious views. They can ruin our lives. I remember a day at the playground...
The Red Dot
I belong to Toastmasters, a great organization, and I remember an international speech a few years ago where the speaker stood on stage holding a white piece of paper. In the middle of the paper was a red mark. The first thing you saw was the red. It stood out. You...
Death – and Life.
I read a letter from a mom in a column in the newspaper the other day. Her five-year-old daughter was very worried about death and was staying awake nights worrying about it. Her mom didn’t know what to tell the girl. As an atheist, I probably worry about death more...
A Brief History of My Pianos
I’m a classical pianist. But I’ve always been envious of other musicians. Almost every member of the orchestra gets to carry his own special instrument and perform on it. Flutes, clarinets, guitars, cellos, violas, piccolos, French horns. People in bands get to march...
Working Toward A Complaint-Free World
"What! They seated us on the wrong side of the train! We wanted an ocean view. Find another seat for us!" The middle-aged lady and her teenage daughter were sitting on the other side of the aisle from my daughter-in-law and me. We were taking the Coast Starlight from...
Middle C: My Home Button
When I was five years old, I started taking piano lessons from a kind old lady named Mrs. Sale. At least, I think she was old. I was only five, so she could have been in her late thirties, and I would have thought she was old. I learned where Middle C was right away,...
Filters
I was thinking about Donald Trump the other day. Don't worry, this blog isn't going to be about politics. Really! I was thinking about how people see him so differently. A majority of Americans think he's a terrible president, should be impeached, lies constantly,...
If You’re Happy and You Know It . . .
My family was talking about happiness the other evening. The six of us adults were having the usual banter back and forth about how to define happiness. Is it contentment? Is it measured in success? Is it just a fleeting emotion, whereas satisfaction a more lasting...
How to Get One Step Closer to World Peace
Every Miss America contestant wishes for it. Hallmark must want it badly because it's on almost every Christmas card. Everybody hopes for it. I'm pretty sure you want it. I know I do. World Peace. Peace on Earth. Peace on Earth is a tall order. But even on a smaller...
Christmas Eve
"Time for bed, postulants! It's 7:30!" Sister Miriam's scratchy voice penetrated the walls of the study hall. It was Christmas Eve, and all of us first-year nuns, called postulants, had been sitting obediently at our desks. Suddenly, we were being herded to bed like...
