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FAMILY TIES OVERCOME SOME THINGS, NOT OTHERS

    Everyday I wake up I see a little gold tree with small family portraits hanging from the bare branches. Maybe you’ve got one that looks like the top image? That’s not mine. Mine used to be on my childhood fireplace mantle beside my grandfather’s railroad watch. Now I’ve got them both, and they’ve […]

Portland Welcome Mat: How To Walk Around Downtown Portland

    One of the great things about sponsoring foreign exchange students after your own kids have been out of college for years is rolling out the welcome mat.   The Portland welcome mat. And dragging everyone possible along the Portland Trail.   My wagon train always starts with Saturday Market and the sort of […]

GILLASPIE LOVESEAT TO HONOR AMERICA. IT’S FRAGILE

    Who hasn’t been accused of making last minute presents? My specialty is carving names in oak with a router.   It takes practice, at least more than a last minute panic to produce something meaningful on Christmas morning.   I’ve been the object of such accusations, and while correct, there is a bigger […]

SANDWICH GENERATION GRANDY MAKES THE RIGHT CALL

I am in a storage space in my house throwing away rings of gauze and squirt bottles of skin care and wound cleaner. It’s a throwback moment with Grandy, my mother in law who passed two years ago. If I had PTSD I would have been thrown back. Instead it was a sweet memory. But […]

How Teamwork Is Supposed To Work In Real Life

    A team is a temporary group with the same goals. Whether it’s sports, school, work, or family, it’s important to know how teamwork is supposed to work.   The biggest element of teamwork is cooperation, which is in shorter supply than most expect.   For example, in the armed forces all entities compete […]

HOW TO COACH CANCER SURVIVORS

    The impact of cancer news hits far and wide, but it is a fastball to the face of the patient and they have no defense. Imagine getting clocked in the head like Tony C and waking up to that ‘new normal.’   Watching it happen in 1967 made a lot of Little League […]

Betrayal Pain: What Pill Takes Away That Ill

    Getting stabbed in the back by someone you trust isn’t something you take to the doctor, unless they specialize in betrayal pain.   So make sure you see a talking doctor who understands the situation. Better yet, make sure you understand before seeking a remedy.   A back ache is different than a […]

Good Enough Is Good Enough Already, Perfectionist

People love to shop, though not everyone admits they love to shop. Why? Because they want better instead of good enough.   They shop for the deal, the steal, the last one in the storage room, the floor model discount, the object with the scratch no one will notice. But you notice.   You’ve heard […]

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. HOW’S IT GOING?

Human nature kicks in hard on the question of right or wrong. You always want to be right. So does the person who is wrong. If it’s too hard to decide who is right or wrong, find a third-party, but first agree to live with their decision. The biggest problem with right or wrong is […]

BOOMER SON OF ENGLAND DIES 13 YEARS AFTER STABBING

Boomer son Alexander Lloyd, dead at age 36, thirteen years after a stabbing left him in the sort of condition that calls for medical miracles. Family care helped him for from age twenty three, then an infection set in that couldn’t be stopped. Alex is the son of my wife’s cousin. My boys met their […]