I consider myself to be a pretty good driver. I have been in my fair share of “fender benders” and a couple of those did result in totaled vehicles, but only one…
Category: Editorials
Lent
Today is Ash Wednesday, the Chrisitan festival that marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent lasts forty days (excluding Sundays) and commemorates Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness…
The promise of things to come
Springtime isn’t guaranteed. We tend to think of it that way, because history has shown that after winter comes the spring, but there’s no contract written up that promises this. I’ve never…
A journey toward volunteering
A funny thing happened on the day I set out to write a Monticello News article about CERT needing volunteers. I realized I wanted to be one. The more information I gathered…
Ponderings…Unexpected solutions
The recent snow (can’t believe I’m typing that!) killed some of the plants in my garden. Some had been struggling to recover through the last few winters we have had, which have…
Ponderings…Matters of the heart
What is love? (Baby don’t hurt me) Why is it such an easy thing to fall into, but such a difficult thing, at times, to keep? Love isn’t a tangible object –…
Fixing immigration
In the most recent election four months ago, the two biggest issues on the minds of the American electorate were inflation and the border. Trump had far better answers to these issues…
Ponderings…When the fire within grows dim
It can be a challenge to know what to say, at times like this. Unprecedented times seem to be the only times we have anymore. Sometimes I wonder if my heart can…
Ponderings…Let there be no mistake
At the recent inauguration, Elon Musk made two gestures that looked precisely like Nazi salutes, and very spirited ones at that. It isn’t just me who saw his motions and immediately thought…
National Security Matters: Random subjects
Liturgical Year: We are in the Season of Epiphany. Already, we have passed Advent and the Season of Christmas. Next will be the Lenten season. The church year progresses rapidly at the…
Lost for words: Keep your chin up when it’s down to the wire
First coming to use in the 1800s, “keep your chin up” came to be a popular expression for encouraging people to press on through difficult circumstances and to never give up. It…
Ponderings…The ways we are remembered
When I was in first grade, I rode the bus to school. Every morning, my big sister (who was in the 3rd grade) and I would walk to the bus stop and…
Ponderings…A little lackluster
Much of the holiday season makes people feel cozy and joyful, and there is undoubtedly an air of excitement hanging about. For those who anticipate seeing family members, having guests over, organizing…
National Security Matters
Last week over the Red Sea, the Navy lost an F-18F Super Hornet to friendly fire. The aircraft was shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired from the cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64)….
Ponderings: Assigning intentions
When you are anxiously inclined, it can be easy to do what I call “assigning intentions.” Assigning intentions is what we do when we cannot understand why someone said or did something,…
Ponderings…Carrots and Celery
I’ve always liked celery. The snap and watery crunch of it raw, the zippy flavor it offers when added to soups and stews. I enjoy it alone or paired with peanut butter…
Ponderings…What lies ahead
The new year is approaching. There really isn’t an actual barrier between this year and next year – we wake up like it’s any ordinary day, but it feels different, somehow. “Next…
From the Sunny Side: Mama Patrick
I recently had the opportunity to attend a banquet honoring those important school workers who work “behind the scenes” as what is referred to now as “School Related Employees.” Although school teachers…
Ponderings…Finding hope
My parents were far from perfect. There are a great many things about my childhood that shouldn’t have happened the way that they did, and in some ways, I’ll spend the rest…
Ponderings…Health in hindsight
What would you do, if you could peer into your own future, and see the ways your life will change? Would you change the things about your life that will bring upon…