How To Stand Out In A Crowd

February 25, 2023

I have a friend (Judy) who stands just under 5 feet tall. I imagine as a child, she was challenged by her lack of height. She probably wasn’t tall enough to embark on certain carnival rides. Maybe she had to prove her age at various times in her life. But let me tell you how tall she really stands. Obviously her size is all in the eyes of her beholders. As a young woman, she entered the education field, earning degree after major degree during her career. She was right at home among the very young students she taught at Madison Elementary and developed teaching programs to ...

Reporting The News Ohio Valley Style

February 18, 2023

Over these 40-plus years in the field of journalism, I have met many, many interesting people. Not all of those with whom I have interacted are worth remembering for one reason or another. Yet, just as many offer good memories. When you can report a happy reunion or hear some good news for a sick child, it stays with you. Trust me however, there is something chilling when an accused or convicted murderer gives you the evil eye when you are reporting their crimes. There also have been the interviews where the interviewee gave one or two-word answers to deep-diving questions. ...

What Love Looks Like

February 10, 2023

I am a sucker for a proper hug. You know the kind. It’s a hug that leaves an impression on the giver and receiver long after it’s over. I didn’t grow up in a huge hugging family, but we showed each other love in simple ways just as well. Maybe you held hands as you crossed the street and made sure the little brother or sister walked on the sidewalk for safety’s sake. Or when your own child awoke with a bad dream, you comforted them with a lullaby or read them a story until they fell back to sleep. Sometimes love comes in the form of someone’s favorite cookies you baked ...

Blow Out The Candles And Celebrate

February 4, 2023

A woman I worked with years ago was born on Dec. 24. I would ask her how her birthday was celebrated being that it was on the day before Christmas. Her answer was simple. It was celebrated just like any other birthday — with cake and ice cream, gifts and birthday good wishes. Her parents were loving people who would never think to shortchange their daughter just because of the timing of her birth. Personally I think it would be interesting to have a birthday that lands on a special holiday. I have two brothers who were born on holidays — Jan. 1 and Feb. 14. Another brother’s ...

The Irony Of It All

January 28, 2023

Some years ago, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette penned a song titled “Ironic.” Its lyrics probably spoke to most of us at one time or another in our lives. For instance the chorus of the song includes these thoughts: “It’s like rain on your wedding day. It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid. It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take …” All of these things and more are examples of irony. Irony hit me squarely in the face this past Monday, And it wasn’t in a good way, I awoke to the national news outlets reporting that more than 40 people had been shot ...

A Firm Foundation

January 21, 2023

When I was 3 years old, my parents moved our family of five kids with one on the way to a stately, old Victorian style home in the heart of Woodsdale. I was just a toddler or so, but I clearly remember climbing the wide wooden steps to the front porch. The front door was a broad, heavy door with an oversized brass-looking door knob. The door was flanked by two leaded glass windows that allowed light to enter and create prisms of color on the shining hardwood floors. It felt magical to this young child. Entering the front hall, there were large white pillars that helped form an ...