The Mischief Began When She Left

Little boy picking up puzzles

When I was a young boy I lived in the small town of Afton, Wyoming. Afton was a place where keys were left in the cars, doors remained unlocked, and it was safe to leave young children home. One day my mother and sisters went to town, leaving my two cousins and me alone. We…

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The Glass Piano

Glass piano

  In the summer of 1974 my first wife Carol, our three-year-old son Paul, and I went on an outing with some friends to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I was just finishing my education at the University of Tennessee and Carol recently had surgery for ovarian cancer and was going through radiation therapy. Carol was weak and…

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After She Left, the Mischief Began

Little boy picking up puzzles

  When I was a young boy, I lived in the small town of Afton, Wyoming. Afton was a place where keys were left in the cars, doors remained unlocked, and it was safe to leave young children home. One day my mother and sisters went to town, leaving my two cousins and me alone.…

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The Blue Plate Special

  One day when my wife, Anne, was young, one of her siblings broke something that belonged to another child in the family.  Tempers flared and angry words were exchanged.  Anne’s mother, Joy, brought the kids together and patiently explained that accidents and mistakes happen and we shouldn’t let them make us get upset because…

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The Blue Sweater

value of hard work blue sweater

Due to inclement weather I went walking at an indoor gym. Normally when I walk at this gym I try to do so for an hour, depending on my attitude of the day.  On this particular cold day in the middle of February I wore my favorite blue sweater to the gym, then took it…

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Ambrose Stole Some Apples

Ambrose Call grew up in Bountiful Utah, during the early 1890’s. At the age of 82, I sat on his floor for two plus hours fascinated and enthralled as I listened to him tell his life history. He told of a time when he and some friends stole apples from an elderly man’s orchard. A…

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Courage to Apologize

courage to apologize

One Sunday morning several years, ago, my father was in a church leadership meeting at which a man who no longer attended was being discussed. Dad was curious why this man of great faith had suddenly stopped coming. I’m sure this man’s situation had been discussed many times over the years, but on this particular…

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