Don’t continually put off things you want to do until later. You never know how many days you still have on this earth especially when you are in your retirement years and the back door seems to be getting closer and closer. One of the things I think each of us should do is to make up a list of things you want to … Continue reading Retirement Don’ts
Let’s do another post on my high school days or maybe I should say where I lived during my high school days. As I mentioned before I went to a Catholic school from the first through the seventh grade. So, I was primarily taught by nuns and priests. I have mentioned before that my mom deserted my dad, brother, and me when I was in … Continue reading High School Memories…..
I believe that Jesus meant us to be humble rather than proud. I believe that Jesus meant us to be selfless rather than selfish. I believe that humility and compassion are the two most important things all Christians must strive to. Everything else is small stuff. Continue reading I Believe
The above title is somewhat of a shocker from a person like me who is reflecting on his retirement years. So, let me finish the sentence here. Retirement is a meaningless void until you make it otherwise. The second part of the sentence definitely changes the first. Yes, retirement does usually clean off the blackboard of life so that it is ready for a new … Continue reading Retirement is a Meaningless Void….
“Stuff” has been on my mind lately so I pulled out a November 2008 blog post on one of my other blogs and re-posted it below. I am in the process of cleaning out my barn and it is loaded with stuff (shame on me!!). Sometimes I would just like to throw it all away and start over again; maybe this time I could refrain … Continue reading Stuff
Here it is the first day of fall. I will be glad to see the summer heat finally dissipate. Yesterday was 96 degrees and tomorrow is supposed to be in the 90s again so I guess we will have to wait a while for cooler temperatures. The picture below were taken in late October 2009. No, we don’t usually have cows in our front year but … Continue reading Happy Fall 2010!
Continuing on with tools that help me and other deaf people coupe in the hearing world this post will cover closed captioning. When I went deaf in 1988 there only about 10% of the television coverage was closed captioned. That meant that I was pretty shut out of TV. And even for that 10% I had to order an external closed captioning unit for my … Continue reading Closed Captioned TV….
We often have casual conversations about the weather over our back fences or to people we are not intimately familiar with. When we can’t think of anything else to say we talk about the weather! Well, I seem to be in one of those funks where words and not coming easily right now so let’s talk about the weather. Is it just me or has … Continue reading Let’s talk about the weather….
I have been having some pretty grumpy days lately so I find it necessary to revisit the issue of happiness. We all want to be happy especially in our retirement years. The pursuit of happiness is even in our country’s founding documents. Happiness is more than a feeling; it is actually much more a choice. We all have known people who seem to be grumpy … Continue reading Choose to be Happy..
We recently spent a glorious three days on Mackinac Island in upper Michigan. One of the unique things about the island is that there are no motorized vehicles on it. Transportation is by either horse, bicycle, or on foot. We stayed at the Island House hotel and besides for some pretty poor service in the dining room during a dinner hour our stay there was … Continue reading Mackinac Island, MI
I have been doing some studying on the concept of universal salvation or reconciliation. Here is what Wikipedia says about it: Origen was a 3rd century proponent of Universal Reconciliation. The belief in the eventual salvation of all humankind has been a topic of debate throughout the history of the Christian faith. In the early Church, universalism was a flourishing theological doctrine. Reconciliation is the … Continue reading Universal Salvation..
I believe that meeting human needs should be more important than maintaining religious institutions. I believe that peace should be more important than power. I believe in the authority of the words of Jesus in the Bible over those of even His most inspired followers. And the journey goes on…. Continue reading I Believe…
Mahatma Gandhi Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. At first thought the above quote did not mean a lot to me but when I thought it out it is indeed has a great significance in my life. I often get somewhat depressed that there is so much suffering in the world today. The chanting of war … Continue reading Memorable Quotes
Here is a quote by Philip Gulley who is a Quaker minister and author. I couldn’t have said it any better At the end of the day, it is important to remember that while the institutional church is important to us, Jesus appeared to give it little thought. Though the church eventually became the means by which the story and witness of Jesus spread, neither … Continue reading The Institutional Church
Of course being totally deaf as I am means that I can no longer hear the noises around me. Sometimes that is a good thing. I no longer hear the screaming kid at the table next to me in a restaurant. I am somewhat oblivious to the constant chatter of people on cell phones always around me. The last five years of my corporate life … Continue reading Deafness and Danger
I have been away from my computer for a while. Yvonne and I spent a glorious week at Mackinac Island. I will be sharing pictures of that soon but right now let’s finish up the current series of DC and the area. This picture and the one following them are of Williamsburg VA also taken in 1988. I have been there several times before and … Continue reading Williamsburg VA…
Sorry for not saying something earlier but I have been away from my computer for a while. Yvonne and I took a week vacation to northern Michigan starting Labor day weekend. We spent three glorious days on Mackinac Island. It was simply wonderful to not see a single motorized vehicle for all that time. Even though I am deaf cars and such still make quite … Continue reading Been Away for a while….
Here is an exert from a 1983 article in Sojourner Magazine written by Elsa Tamez. It speaks to my questions as to why God is silent so often in our lives. GOD’S SILENCE is mysterious. Sometimes it fills us with fright and paralyzes us in the face of the legion of devils that squeezes out the life of the people. But without this silence of God, … Continue reading The Silence of God
Don’t get fixated on one particular thing. One of my favorite books is “1,000 Places to Go in the U.S. before you Die”. As the title indicates there is a list of 1,000 places in the U.S. that you can visit. To me retirement years is that time when you can accomplish many of the things you have put off. I strongly believe that being … Continue reading Retirement Don’ts
My wife comes from northern Wisconsin and anyone who knows the area knows that is paper country. I think when you are born in that territory something is put into your DNA related to paper? Before I was married I usually went through a roll of toilet paper every month or so and a box of tissue would last at least six months. After I … Continue reading Paper Products….
I believe that affirming our potential is more important than condemning our brokenness. Many churches I have attended put a very strong I would even say an overwhelming emphasis on our brokenness. Their creeds which are chanted every Sunday point out that we are nothing but poor miserable sinners and are capable of absolutely nothing good. Besides causing inferiority complexes in those to buy into … Continue reading Affirming our Potential
Let’s start up a new category with this post. As you have or will discover there are many different things that you can do in retirements. Therefore the retirement “Do’s” are almost unlimited. But there are also a number of retirement “Don’ts” that you should be mindful of. These are things that you generally don’t want to get hooked on in your retirement years. Let’s … Continue reading Retirement Don’ts
RJ's Corner 