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FAMILY LIFE: HOW IT STARTED, HOW IT’S GOING

November 20, 2020 by

Family life is a blur. That’s what I tell anyone who asks. It goes by fast from the dad lane. Pictures don’t lie. What’s it take to keep family life together over the long haul? Communication tools, that’s what, but not the kind you’d expect, not the kind my wife would include either. But, it’s […]

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HOW SECOND BORN KIDS MAKE THEIR MARK

October 27, 2020 by

Being a second born myself, I know how to make a mark. Call it a mark, a scar, it’s something to be remembered by. I’m sure it’s different with girls, and the mix of brothers and sisters, but my mix was all boys for the first fourteen years. The first, then fourteen months later the […]

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FAMILY MAN? WHO WERE YOU BEFORE THAT

October 11, 2020 by

Every man is a family man until it’s time to do what family men do. “But, Dave, what do family men do?” I’ll answer before you ask, because you were going to.

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TORCH PASSING? WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME

October 3, 2020 by

When it comes to torch passing, timing is everything. And it’s usually the wrong time. My dad died the day after my last visit.

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FAMILY PLAN? FARM THE KIDS OUT FOR PEACE AND QUIET

September 16, 2020 by

For most, a family plan is making sure the kids are alright. Planned pregnancies and Tiger Mom tactics? What’s that? My parents had four kids and we always lived across from a sand dune and a forest. Smart move. When they said go out and play, we knew where to go. Forest play was more […]

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FACING ADVERSITY FOR THE FIRST TIME, PANDEMIC EDITION

August 25, 2020 by

The biggest take aways from facing adversity the first time are the tools and tactics we learn for the next time. And there’s always a next time. Maybe not as big as now, but the tools still apply. So, what are the tools needed for facing adversity? You’ve come to the right place, reader.

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STEP UP TO LIFE CHALLENGES FOR A BETTER LOOK

June 18, 2020 by

Life challenges are all around, whether we see them, act on them, or ignore them. Like a slow leak in a car tire, you eventually notice. Then what?

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A BIRTHDAY, VE DAY, FLYOVER PORTLAND DAY

May 9, 2020 by

My dad’s birthday is May 8, so it was a big day before I learned about Victory in Europe, or anything in Europe. It’s still a big day. Sharing his day with the end of the worst war in the history of mankind, where industrialized death became the accepted norm, can’t be easy. Just ask […]

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INVISIBLE BEAUTY: WHAT WE DON’T SEE

April 25, 2020 by

Invisible beauty is all around when I take a walk with my favorite. From the lattice-like leaves of a tiny plant, to clouds, to Mt. Hood, it’s all around for the taking. One of our walks goes past a rosemary bush that needs more trimming than the owner can do, and we love rosemary chicken, […]

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SADNESS AND THE ONLY CHILD ALONE ON THEIR DAY

April 12, 2020 by

The Smothers Brothers comedy team had a routine that fit every family, except only child families, when one said to the other, “Mom always liked you best.” Every brother or sister who hasn’t said that missed a golden opportunity for a guilt ridden jab, deserved or not. In some homes it has to go unsaid […]

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