How did they begin? — A dear friend, Jill Ebstein, who wrote a wonderful, educational piece on Chanukah asked me to write about our Christmas traditions. As I thought about it, I realized that most families have their own, personal traditions, but there are, perhaps, a few overarching ones. The Christmas Tree One story goes that Martin Luther…

’Tis a season of joy for most of us. — This week I’m joyfully stuck on Joy. It is a good place to be this time of year as we listen to hear sleighbells, decorate our houses and look forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth. This week I was privileged to see the fireplace lit for the first time in our…

Try these six suggestions — Yesterday we lit the “JOY” candle on the Advent wreath. It is the third candle we light. The previous two were HOPE and LOVE. So, this week we focus on Joy. What brings joy into your life? Spending time with God tops my list. Spending time with family and friends…

What can we do to achieve it? — That elusive quality we so earnestly desire continues to elude us. Why? Is there anything we can do to hasten its coming? I think there is. Colossians 2:6–7 tells us, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built…

I hope it was for you, too. — Why do they call it a Red-Letter Day? The expression comes from ancient manuscripts that used red letters to emphasize important points. Some versions of the Bible print words attributed to Jesus in red. In other words, it signifies something with special importance. Tuesday started early with my wife’s eye…

A time of change — Autumn leaves, cool nights, Change is inevitable. Time to hibernate? After attending the funeral of the mother of a friend, my wife and I took a ride through the Minnesota countryside near our home. The leaves had not quite reached peak yet, but we saw many trees splendidly decorated with…

How would you answer them? — In her intriguing article “How Life Gets Simpler,” my friend and fellow writer Jill Ebstein asked five thought-provoking questions. To have them answered was her birthday wish upon turning 60. How Life Gets Simpler And there is only question I ask people nowmedium.com Here are the questions and my answers. Q1: What is something you are proud of? I am proud of my…

Should he be? — Classified document mishandling A couple of days ago Dan Abrams, chief legal analyst for ABC News, said on Good Morning America that he thought it was unlikely that former President Trump would be indicted for possessing and mishandling classified government documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate. I find this hard to believe. He…

Is that bar too low? — What does it take to break even on Medium? I know many come to this platform expecting to make five and six-figure incomes. I have a friend who left the Medium Partner Program after trying for a couple of years and failing to reach his goal of several thousand dollars…