Stories & Blogs
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 23, 2023
** We all know the value and contribution of “Assistance Dogs” that they provide to individuals with physical and emotional needs, disaster search/rescue, victims of crime and really anything they can do for their humans. Something new to me…one of the long-term care facilities here, in Fort Worth has an “Assistance Bunny.” Hallway to hallway,…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 16, 2023
** Anne Lamott writes in Traveling Mercies, “I was raised by parents to believe that you had a moral obligation to try to save the world.” The Sunday Question: What message, if any, did your parent/s give to you? If not parent/s, who taught you to believe, and what was it you were to believe,…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 9, 2023
** As part of morning errands, Beth wanted to bring home breakfast burritos. Both a local burrito place and McDonald’s told Beth, “Sorry, we are out of eggs.” This was a surprise and a bit hard to understand. ** How we communicate with our devices in 2023. To Phone: “Hey Siri.” In our car it…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 2, 2023
** My naive 1960’s hope was to change the world, make society better, healthier, safer for all both nationally and internationally. Thus, for elected members of Congress to say, “There is nothing we can do about children being murdered with assault weapons,” it is an individual and institutional sin. I say that because, I truly…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 26, 2023
** I was granted a Master of Theology in May of 1970. I was well prepared to interpret the historical and cultural context of the Bible and to encourage and support a faith experience. Missing in that training were best practices in growing healthy, healing, sustaining organizations, recruiting/training board members, personnel issues, reading financial statements…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 19, 2023
** I am sharing with SL readers a partial list of my favorite sustaining words and phrases: Seeking common ground….Servant Leadership….To Hope, to Care anyway…To be a Witness….To show Mercy and to give Grace….Mystical & Magical…To Create…Never go away…Being present…Listening…Being a Neighbor…I can roller skate in a buffalo herd (Roger Williams)…More words next SL **…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 12, 2023
** Anyone who lives in an urban area can be approached by a panhandler at an intersection. Arlington, TX has taken a unique approach to signage at these same intersections. “It’s OK to say no to panhandlers.” ** Imagine connecting with a friend not seen or known about since 1965. (And yes, I realize there…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 5, 2023
** News Movement is a new, developing online news service for young people. The average age of their reporters is 25. News sources include Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. Traditional 5:30 pm network news ads have aged into dentures, and medications. ** National and state news this week was more about who to exclude,…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for February 26, 2023
** Beth and I replaced our 10 yr. old IPhone 7’s with IPhone 12’s. The technology changes are a challenge for me, the slower “to get it” of the two. ** From President Jimmy Carter, age 98: “America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, human rights invented America. “ ** Following…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for February 19, 2023
** Most of us know the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. What you may not have noticed is the back of their helmets. Many players have messages of hope. Several I noticed are: Inspire Stop Hate Together Seek Love Imagine Unity ** From my current morning Fiction: “Give me coffee to change the…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 26, 2026
About HOPE….How To Keep….Offer HOPE To Others Lately, as I have talked and listened to friends and family, I heard and felt their general despair. This despair seems to be from reports on the news, decisions being made by the unqualified, random acts of violence and harm to the innocent. I also heard and felt…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 19, 2026
Benefits of Letting the Old Man or Woman In Toby Keith wrote and recorded Don’t Let the Old Man In during his last months of treatment and eventual death from stomach cancer. There is a popular site offering T-shirts, hats, and bags with this message. I understand the resistance and push back of letting the…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 12, 2026
Paying Attention And Accepting My Limitations Beth, Peter, and I gather twice monthly to share writings and journals. We three also share of our individual lives. Beth and Peter encouraged me to allow a recent individual writing as the content of a Sunday Letter and thus I have done so this week. This Sunday Letter…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 5, 2026
This Easter weekend Beth & I walked our neighborhood block of 16 homes. Beth had prepared a gift bag for each neighbor with Zucchini bread, a card with her original art on the front and contact information. Both Jesus and Mr. Rogers spoke about neighbors. By knocking on 16 doors, we extended the hand of…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 29, 2026
Neighbors and Neighborhoods 2026 I am writing this week about the ways both neighbors and neighborhoods have changed, never to return to the days of images and memories of our experiences often reflected in a TV series or movie. Beth and I live on a traditional block of 16 homes. In my youth I grew-up…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 22, 2026
Being Safe, Prayers All Will Be Safe Where was your safe place as a child and later as a teen? Who were the individuals or groups who taught you about safety and provide you safety as a child…as a teen. Today, who are you teaching about safety and being free from harm? In what ways…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for Match 15, 2026
A Writing About Balancing The Quiet & The Noise A writer of people’s stories placed a recording microphone in a city park. His sign, asked a simple question, Who Inspired You? The resulting stories were of teachers, grandparents and the encouragement of others. I would add these similar signs: Who Gave You Comfort? Who Listened…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 8, 2026
Meaningful Insights of the Week This week’s Sunday Letter will highlight several insights, words and phrases I have read or heard this week. Friends and family members who give us support continue to change, shift as illness, relocations, death, and lifestyle preferences reshape our circle of relationships. Hopefully, we are adding and inviting new friends,…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 1, 2026
The Unfolding of Life and Faith My parents attended a neighborhood church which meant early Sunday morning, Sunday school and back again for evening Training Union. I accepted a youthful Faith as taught to me by caring adults I knew and trusted. As I grew physically, my early faith carried me through my teen years…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for February 22, 2026
A Reflection and Summary of Our Monks 110 Day Journey & Their Now Return Our local Monks, now with national and international followers, have returned to their home Temple grounds from their 110 day Walk for Peace. I humbly add my thoughts to the writers who know more and better described the people, events and…