Stories & Blogs
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 February 12, 2023
** I recently had the opportunity to talk with two nonprofit Exec. Directors, one in-person in Amarillo and one by cell in Santa Fe. We three are always interested in the best, most effective way to lead an agency or direct a program. Our question as we talked was about our leadership style when: 1)…
ROY’S SUNDAY LETTER FOR FEBRUARY 5, 2023
It is now Saturday evening, and we are home from a week in Amarillo. Beth and I left FW on Monday morning 9:30 just before sleet and freezing rain shut down Dallas/Ft Worth and then moved down to Austin. We drove through sleet and frozen rain for 3.5 hours before clearer roads and weather on…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for January 29, 2023
** Beth and I will be in Amarillo this week. Beth and Tricia (her LPC partner) began The Hope & Healing Place, A Grief & Loss Center for Children and Families. The HHP board and staff are recognizing 20 years of the HHP mission and services with grieving families. 20 years doesn’t seem possible…Hope &…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for January 22, 2023
** David Crosby, 81, is singing in a different choir or rock group now. Crosby was one who’s music raised me up. Not an easy life, but a good one. David, I will always hear you in my heart and spirit. Is there someone you will always hear, who helped “raise you up?” ** Brad…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for January 15, 2023
TCU had a great season of coming from behind and magical wins by an unranked, over-achieving team of players, with a mascot no one understands or has ever seen. Thank you coaches and players. ** Do you have a clock radio? Do you go outside for the morning paper? We no longer have either a…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for January 8, 2023
** Joan Garry, my “go to” nonprofit site, writes of her concern of 1) ongoing Covid/RSV isolating, public health threat, and 2) decrease in grant, special event, and donor dollars will challenge many organizations to not only to deliver services and thrive but, even to sustain operations. Simply said, not everyone here in January will…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 24, 2026
The Songs & Artists of Youth & Senior Years Music, both the sounds and the lyrics, were woven into my youth, working years, and now elder years. Today’s Sunday’s writing will present five of my forever songs. Most Sunday Letter readers were too young, or not even born, in 1966 when Joan Baez came out…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 17, 2026
Creating and Sustaining Community This week’s Sunday Letter has been inspired by Beth’s Delta Zeta Sorority’s magazine “The Lamp.” The current issue focuses on creating and sustaining sisterhood communities. Some readers of the Sunday Letter may participate in a local church, civic, or neighborhood association. Other readers may yet to have that experience or opportunity….
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 10, 2026
MOTHER’S DAY 2026 Writing about mother’s is an opportunity as well as a challenge… Readers of the Sunday Letter may have experienced birth mothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law or other family members who provided the role of mothers as best possible. Through our service at the Hope & Healing Place in Amarillo, we also know of mothers’…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 3, 2026
All About Goodness First Goodness: I had been dreading the clinic appointment with the Cardiologist. I had completed 3 recent heart tests and would hear test results and recommended next treatment…perhaps a Pacemaker or new medication. Instead, our MD explained my heart had a minor flow issue but were not health threatening. “See you in…
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…