In December 2011 my son Paul, my grandson Calvert, and I boarded a plane in Frankfort, Germany to fly to Rabat, Morocco. We were excited for this trip for two reasons: 1) we had never been there; and 2) we were there to help my grandson complete his Boy Scout Eagle Project. ​For his project Calvert…

In December 2011, my son Paul, my grandson Calvert, and I drove from Stuttgart, Germany to Frankfurt to catch a plane to Morocco. We were flying on Ryan Air and when we arrived at the gate, I got a lesson in airport etiquette (at least for this airline). For example, a line had started to…

Not too long ago, my oldest grandson, Calvert asked me to describe the neighborhood where I grew up. This is a tricky question. What is meant by describing the neighborhood where I grew up? It could include many things such as a description of the houses, the lawn care the neighbors took to create beauty,…

Monopoly is one of those games that has probably been around since man first learned how to barter for bread, butter, and meat. I would not be surprised if someday the rules for this game were found in the non-translated manuscript of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I am certain that ancient merchants used it to…

Psychology—an entire field devoted to understanding how humans think, feel, and behave—offers some of the most practical tools for improving how people learn at any age. Whether someone is studying for college exams, developing new professional skills, or simply exploring a personal interest, ideas like motivation, memory formation, and stress regulation can act as levers…

People who know me today do not believe me when I tell them that basically I am quite shy and backwards. I have always been that way, but over the years life has taught me a few things about myself. Perhaps the biggest lesson I have learned is to fake my lack of shyness and…

Within the last couple of years several people have approached me and asked if I would consider writing a book based on the family history stories I have written. I explained to them that of course I would consider it, but I wouldn’t commit to sitting at my computer for three months and using up…