Stories & Blogs

Roy’s Sunday Letter for August 24, 2025

CROSSES AND CRIFIXICS OF FAITH I received my first cross from a graduating seminary friend in 1969. Beth added her own crosses as we married and purchased our first home. Through travel, art fairs and conferences we have added diverse crosses of wood, metal, New Mexico mortar and wire. Crosses and crucifixes are worn as…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for August 17, 2025

ARE INSPIRING PERSONS AND CAUSES STILL IMPORTANT TO TOU, YOUR FAMILY, OUR COUNTRY? The ongoing daily news/events of local, national and the wider world can drain energy or a sense of wonder for a better tomorrow. For all of that to not be my only reality, I choose to filter and search for the balancing…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for August 10, 2025

WAYS YOU CAN AND WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH OTHERS, AND PERHAPS THE WIDER WORLD My world, your world, is a fast-moving, ever-changing collection of stories, decisions, and events. And yet, many of us want to find an edge or small ways we can and will improve living or working conditions of other persons, animals,…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter fot August 3, 2025

One of Fifty Two It has been a long time since I have written something with a due date. I usually dreaded writing assignment as a student and would often wait till the last minute to complete the assignment. This opportunity has taken me on an adventure, and it all began with our dog, Jazz….

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for May 31, 2026

Meeting Beth & Turning Calendar to 82 Remembering the last Sunday in May, 1977. My life was blessed by meeting Beth at St. Francis Presbyterian, a Ft. Worth house church. Our life together began that Sunday and has continued for 49 years, through 4 cities, 5 dogs, and 5 homes. From our commitment to learn…

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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…

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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….

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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’…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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