Stories & Blogs

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…