To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Eccl.:3:1-8. One of the most memorable passages in the Bible, probably because of the song by The Birds and the music of Pete Seeger. Yet, the words are probably 3000 years old. There are times when circumstances make us pessimistic, melancholy, of…

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Dear Tom: Through an exchange of correspondence I’d like to explore something that is beginning to trouble me more and more. I begin with a caveat (as you know Suzy hates my caveats saying I’m being too much of a lawyer, but I am what I am). That caveat is — I dislike labels and…

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A young boy comes to his grandfather and says, “I have two wolves fighting inside me. One is gray, and the other is black. The grey one wants me to be courageous, patient, and kind. The black one wants me to be cruel, fearful, and selfish. I am tormented by their demands. Grandfather, which of…

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Another week of heartbreaking football for yours truly, and hours listening to announcers spouting football dogma. It is true that the team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins, and the individual players need to play “within themselves” and not take “unnecessary chances.” But in any sport, including football, there is a fine line between…

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Dear Tom: During the political conventions we heard a lot about “success.” People threw out the words “successful, failure, fail, etc.,” as if they are the measure and justification of all things. Sadly there is a lot of truth to their assessment when it comes to our current state of affairs and public mindset. I…

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