Stories & Blogs

Roy’s Sunday Letter for November 30, 2025

A Thanksgiving Of Monks, Horses, Weather and Hope in Difficult Times When Sunday Letter readers tell me the SL “makes me think,” I have good feelings of intent and purpose. Other comments highlight a pause to reflect on life thus far and the sense of the sacred found in meditation, prayer, and community worship. I…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for November 23, 2025

NOTES ALONG THE WAY Some of us stuff crumble notes in our pockets or purse. My notes are scattered in notebooks, cards, or sticky notes. Today’s Sunday Letter is a gathering together of random notes. Beth Forwards social postings she finds meaningful, or with an unusual insight. One of her favorites is a young Black…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for November 16, 2025

OUR ONE POT OF FAITH A new reader of the Sunday Letter asked, “What do you want to achieve?” The question gave me pause, to reflect if not to achieve then what and took me to reflect on faith. My desire is to show the pleasure of being curious, to welcome to the learning, the…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for November 9, 2025

WISDOM SAYINGS ON A SUNDAY A young Paul Simon wrote wisdom was found written on a bathroom wall. I have stumbled over wisdom in fiction pages, a Mary Oliver verse, and a comment by a friend over coffee. This Sunday I offer informal sayings and comments whenever and wherever you may stumble over my gathered…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for November 2, 2025

Supportive Thoughts in A Week of Troubles & Challenges Each week may bring news and events of harm and injustice to those who live, work, and worship around us. Destructive weather in Jamaica and Bahamas has changed food, housing, employment for so many. Immature blaming and general lack of compassion has created additional hardships for…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for October 26, 2025

THESE KEEP MY EYES FORWARD AND MY HEAD UP This week’s Sunday Letter is about the individuals, causes, and life events that Inspire me. This Gives Comfort, and Teaches me what is important for my health, my joy, my marriage, and my experience of the Sacred. Willie Nelson has communicated all of life’s emotions since…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for October 19, 2025

CREATIVITY AND NOURISHING YOUR CREATIVE GARDEN Julia Cameron has published 20 books…including books of poetry, plays and music about the art of creativity. Her break-out book, “The Artist Way,” introduced the public to Morning Pages. Her insights on creativity are shared in “Walking in This World, The Practical Art of Creativity.” Cameron has inspired me…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for October 12, 2025

WHO WOULD YOU INVITE TO YOUR TABLE? A Netflix favorite is “Somebody Feed Phil.” This popular food and people show introduces the culture of food, chefs, and cities nationally and internationally. Each episode ends with Phil inviting 6 to 8 food guides and chefs of that episode to share and enjoy a table and meal…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for October 5, 2025

WISDOM THAT TEACHES, COMFORTS, & CHALLENGES One of Beth’s life enjoyments is finding and copying wisdom quotes and sayings into one of her now five journals. I have lifted today’s writings from one of her journals. I am confident SL readers will find favorites to read more than once, perhaps to write into your own…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for September 28, 2025

THOUGHTS ON FAITH – THEN AND NOW This week’s letter is the third in a series…recent Sunday Letters have been about Crosses, Prayers and Meditation. Faith is the focus for the third in the series. I chose Faith last as it continues to evolve even now as an elder. We are all pilgrims in this…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 9, 2025

The CEO of Starbucks said he wants Starbucks to be everyone’s “third place,” after home and work. Come with friends, visit, perhaps purchase food and drink, but come and be a part of our place. In a similar way, I would like the Sunday Letter to be an ongoing source of encouragement, support, always with…

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Roy’s Sunday Letter for March 2, 2025

FINDING MY PURPOSE IN WRITING THE SUNDAY LETTER 2025 The past weeks have been chaotic, upsetting, and stressful for me, for many of us, perhaps for you too. I stared into a blank screen wondering what I could write about, what would I write about, as well as should I even write or not. After…

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