Roy’s Sunday Letter for August 30, 2026
Beginnings and Continuings
Beginnings:
What have you begun in 2026 or have considered beginning? What interests your current focus and energy? There is a tendency, especially as we age, to lessen or embrace of the new or different. A new adventure, cause, music or craft provides an uplift of our eyes, energy and spirit.
In the past did you have a mentor or witness, that encouraged you? For me, I needed a permission from myself to learn my first simple guitar chord, then adding a hesitant up and down strum. To my amazement the sounds to 500 Miles, Down in The Valley, and Amaging Grace, however badly played, stumbled from my stiff fingers.
New start-ups, whether business, civic, or volunteer all have challenges and opportunities. When I first began playing my acoustic guitar, I felt the sounds and energy of my long-ago youth. With each new chord my growing confidence encouraged the next chord or easy play song. What has been your most recent encouragement to take the next step of a new beginning? What else would be helpful for you even today?
Five Possibles to Begin: Consider learning Threads or Blue Sky in addition to FaceBook…..Consider membership on a local community organization Board of Advisors…..Even now give thought o a spring flower garden or adding pots to your porch garden….Go forward in a long-desired trip or cruise….Create or add to an existing schlorship for an aspiring student or one who wants to aspire.
Continuing:
Five Possibles To Continue: Continuing volunteering to fill boxes of rice, beans, and can goods at the Food Bank… Continue as reader to children at your local library…. Continue as a driver for your children or grandchildren to their game or music lesson….Continue being a mentor to someone in your circle of influence or background.
Being counted on is a respected, high value for you, your family, church or civic group. The “how” of being present in today’s world may be in person, zoom, or another digital platform. I join SL readers in learning and becoming comfortable in adapting and shifting in order to listen, be helpful, give encouragement to someone to stay with it, make it through, to know they are not alone.
As a society for the whole of us, what is the impact or erosion of belief and hope when we are not consistent, if our promised word or skills are tossed aside with “I changed my mind.” If Consistency would be an improvement area for you, add it to your ‘I can do this better’ list.
Summing Up:
Both the Beginning and the Continuing are the layers of how we are seen, known, and trusted. And also the layers of how we see, know, and trust others. Both take and give us energy within our shared, common circle and world. As we live closer to these truths we move away from passivity, of being a victim to the events and decisions of others,
At 82, I am motivated to remain creative, draft my weekly page, be brave, disclose who I am, and am not. Your “Open & Clicks” encourage my openness to allow the focus and content to come each week.