Stories & Blogs
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 18, 2025
PAGES FROM A FULL NOTEBOOK Each week I make notes of what might be included in the Sunday Letter. Here are the ones thar made the selection from notebook to screen. ** It is not with joy; I share Fort Worth has reached a citizenship of one million. I am not confident in the positive…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 11, 2025
BEING AWARE BUT NOT OVER-WHELMED BY ALL THINGS MONEY The 2021 online movie “Saving Paradise” portrays the role and the power of money in the lives of individuals, families, small businesses and communities. The founding owner of a small-town wooden pencil business dies suddenly. His son, a New York corporate raider, must decide to sell…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 4, 2025
AN ANCIENT BUDDHIST TEACHING, THE NOBLE EIGHTFUL PATH, UPDATED FOR 2025 The Eightfold Path teaches Right Understanding, Right Intent, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness. In full and humble respect for ancient teachers and teachings, I offer this Sunday Letter with words and meaning to bring these truths forward into…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 27, 2025
NAVIGATING THE PATH TO AGING WELL #1 I am surprised to now find myself an elder of 80, and in May 81. All of this too fast and too soon. I need more time to prepare, to be ready for the physical, emotional, economic, and spiritual changes, challenges. As I lift my eyes and heart…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 20, 2025
ALL THE GOOD WORDS Easter Sunday provides a pause between winter cold and moving quickly into the heat and humidity of the Texas summer. Easter Sunday is the right time to give thought on where we fit in a troubled world as individuals, family, workplace, civic volunteer and with close friends. In this Sunday Letter…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 13, 2025
ON BEING A NEIGHBOR Mr. Rogers began the PBS Children’s Show singing “Won’t you be my neighbor? Could you be my neighbor? I really want a neighbor just like you.” Jesus responded to the question “Who is my neighbor?’ With a story of breaking through walls and the rituals that separate us, that kept us…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for April 6, 2025
THE SLOW AND THE BLUR OF CHANGE In the mid-1980’s, I decided to sign-up for a Sierra Club hiking trip in the Colorado mountains. Beginning at base camp in Creed, eight of us hiked Colorado mountains and over the Continental Divide. On day three, I sat in a mountain meadow, with Elk nearby, watching river…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 30, 2023
ABOUT TREES “Who plants a tree plants hope” Lucy Larcom “A true meaning of life is planting trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” Nelson Henderson Why write a Sunday Letter about trees? When Beth and I returned to Fort Worth, we experienced the joy of trees of all types, sizes, and…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 23, 2025
If you want to hear a bird sing, don’t buy a cage…..Plant a tree A Personal Share: An early Melanoma growth was identified and removed by our Dermatology surgeon. The infection from the surgery moved to my left eye, which became at first swollen, then 90% closed. On a return clinic visit, I was told…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 16, 2025
In the midst of perceived darkness, I hold high my candle, saying look, see the path, witness the Hope. Yes, these are challenging days. I am finding, as may we all, my sense of the up and downs of daily life stretched and bent into new shapes by the streaming of the faces, voices, and…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for July 27, 2025
BODY MIND & SOUL The personal and professional training I received placed an emphasis on strengthening the connection between the body – mind -soul. Each one of us has positive individual characteristics. It is when we have a lifestyle of all three, balanced and coordinated, we are at our most healthy and well selves. And…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for July 20, 2025
FINDING OUR BEST, MOST ENJOYABLE WAY Beth and I had a delightful day trip to Granbury with our dear friend Elizabeth (101 years young). We had not been to Granbury in 35+ years. We found the small shops around the courthouse square flourishing and representing the culture of Granbury in the best of ways. We…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for July 13, 2025
HEALING STORIES IN TROUBLED TIMES Recently PBS and local KERA filmed an Arts & Culture series by bringing together Santa Fe high school students, from area schools. Each were asked to write about themselves or a news topic. The students then shared their writing with another student. These Santa Fe students took the risk of…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for July 6, 2025
SMALL PATCHES BECOME A QUILT Beth and I recently experienced something wonderful, exciting, and yes, even inspirational. Eight of “We” mid-age, elder age individuals who gathered weekly to meditate, were joined by forty middle and high school Black teen girls who were at the church for a day camp. Diane talked with the girls about…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for June 29, 2025
READER SUGGTSIONS OF TOPICS AND AREAS OF INTEREST Last week, I asked readers of the Sunday Letter to suggest topics and areas of interest. I received wonderful suggestions and challenges to include in this week’s Sunday Letter. Jerry E. and Marcia would like to know what books, magazines, or podcasts you read or listened to…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for June 22, 2025
INDIVIDUAL AND DAILY LIFE LIMITATIONS Limitations come to us all…they can be physical, emotional, mental, financial, spiritual, as well as phones and digital technology. Limitations can be challenges to overcome, each brings learning, broadening and changing who we are. Perhaps the most meaningful learning comes when we accept and invite life limitations to live alongside…
Roy’s Sunday Letter June 15, 2025
MEMORIES, OF LONG AGO AND NOW In so many ways, we are our memories, both the ones from our childhood and the newest, for example, from Thursday’s lunch with a friend. There are some that come with “Do Not Disturb Signs.” As we know those are in the past and it is really ok to…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for June 8, 2025
WHO INSPIRES YOU & WHO DO YOU INSPIRE? My Sunday question: Who Inspired you at the different stages of your life: youth – emerging adulthood – mid-life – senior or elder years? In what ways did Inspiration change your achievements or help you to face and over-come challenges. What or who is an Inspiration to…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for June 1, 2025
ROY AT 81 YEARS Somewhere, I have a copy of 1944 “Shore to Ship” cable to my Navy Officer father, on a ship somewhere off Normandy. The cable announced my birth. My mother was living with her parents on their east Texas farm in Gladewater. And yes, 81 is just a number, but also a…
Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 25, 2025
ALL ABOUT FRIENDS AND FRIENDSHIPS Richard left a brief voice mail as Wendi and he were driving back to North Carolina after visiting nearby family. When I connected with Richard his words defined long term friendship for us all. “I just wanted to hear your voice.” I treasure Richard’s words, as I consider the voices…