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OREGON TRAILS LEAD TO HOME

September 9, 2022 by

Oregon trails? There’s more than one? If you’re looking for the way back home, any trail will do. When home is Oregon, they are all Oregon trails. More important, they are your trails no matter where you live.

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MANLY MEN WHO FORGET TO BE MEN FIRST

July 28, 2022 by

The manly men where I grew up were loggers and truckers and fishermen. They were hard men doing hard jobs. One of them liked to visit with my dad and tease my older brother. There may have been tears. But it’s different now. What changed?

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ANGRY MAN YELLING: WHEN TO LISTEN

June 29, 2022 by

An angry man is something you come across if you live long enough. Age fifteen was my breakout. I’d heard anger before, but not like the one at fifteen. Since then I’ve heard many men show their anger. What to do when they get in your face?

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MY MOM THE MOTHER IN LAW

April 29, 2022 by

After a recent mother in law conversation I ended up disappointing myself. Why? Because I took the easy way out with the customary role, traditional values, and ducked the whole thing. Not that I don’t have plenty to say about mothers in law. My dates introduced me to the moms and dads more than a […]

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LIFE SAVING FOR THE GIVERS AND TAKERS

April 9, 2022 by

Life saving is more than a job at the swimming pool. It’s an everyday deal of doing small things that go unnoticed, until it matters. Then it’s everything. Where are the life savers when you need them, the people who take the time even when they’re running late? Who are these people? I think you […]

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SANDCASTLES AT SUNSET

September 11, 2021 by

Sandcastles, from the most ornate to a bucket of wet sand turned upside down, all have one thing in common: They don’t last. But instead of mourning the loss of the castle, think of this: You have a chance to build another one, a better one, one that will last. Knowing it won’t last never […]

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MISSING PARTS AND WHERE TO FIND REPLACEMENTS

April 22, 2021 by

When I was a kid I had a high school aged uncle who liked to build model cars with missing parts. He didn’t play any sports. I glued model cars together, too. The box of plastic pieces all linked together became a Buick Wildcat. No paint, nothing special, just following directions and putting it together. […]

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GRANDDAD ADVICE: WHAT KIDS LEARN FIRST

March 1, 2021 by

Granddad advice is the last thing needed for a newborn? Whoever said that? If you’re a grandpa who doesn’t give Granddad advice, do you know what’s coming? Grandma advice. No matter who speaks up first, make it useful. The first thing to beware of:

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HOMESTRETCH AFTER HITTING THE FINAL CURVE HARD

September 8, 2020 by

Sports analogies don’t always work the way they’re supposed to work, but comparing a life to a race always does the trick. From the starting line, to the backstretch, to the final curve going down to the wire, it all sounds like a life well lived. The closer we are to the race, the life, […]

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APOLOGIZE NOW THAT YOU’VE HAD TIME TO THINK

May 26, 2020 by

Apologize now? For what? Who hasn’t had some regret during the coronavirus quarantine? Maybe a little remorse? If that’s you, then it’s time to apologize now. Start early and bring it up to speed.

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