Stories & Blogs
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…
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 May 7, 2023
** Beth and I now have our 6th Covid vaccination. Our pharmacist hopes next year the Covid and flu shot will be combined, making protection easier for us and pharmacist as well. ** St. Andrews Episcopal in Amarillo (our home church) was vandalized Wednesday night. Broken people breaking sacred peace and damaging the interior. The…
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 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 &…