Good Friday

I was sitting in a McDonald’s with my nephew when he asked me what time it was. “What grade are you in?” I asked. “Third,” he replied. “So, you know how to read a clock, right?” “Uh uh.” I took off my watch and handed it to him. “So, what time is it?” Ethan stared at...

Get Off the Fucking Plane

By now you’ve all probably heard about United Airlines’ public relations/customer service   fiasco. If you didn’t here it is in a nutshell – a plane was overbooked, they had to get a flight crew of four on board, they offered $800 in vouchers for volunteers to...

Blood From a Stone

A while back, a man came into my office to donate some toys. “They’re all kind of rusted and beat up,” he told me. “But you can have them.”  I didn’t want any rusty toys – and neither would any of the children my office helps – so I told him to donate them to an...

The Today Show

I was on The Today Show this Wednesday. Here’s the clip if you missed it. Many thanks to the producers for having me back on!

Rendering Judgment

Yesterday my daughter toddled into the house after pre-school and issued her usual demand. “Peppa TV Daddy! Peppa TV!” My daughter is totally in love with Peppa Pig, a children’s cartoon from Great Britain.  Much to the amusement of her teachers she’s watched so much...

Eye of the Needle

A few weeks ago, a father called me and asked if his children could volunteer at my food pantry. “I was raised with nothing,” he told me. “Then I got lucky and made a lot of money. Now I live in a big house in a Richburg. My kids want for nothing. But that’s not how...

Happy Birthday Old Friend

“Buster” turned fourteen years old yesterday, officially surpassing his breed’s normal lifespan. Happy Birthday old friend. I owe you a great deal.

It’s My Turn

It was a crisp fall morning and I was walking towards my truck when a young boy ran up to me. “There’s trouble, sir! Come quick!” I stared down at the boy. “What kind of trouble?” “Mr. Johnson’s being robbed.” I looked at the general store across the town square. The...

Motivation

It was 2:00 AM on a hot and humid night and I was driving home after spending an evening with friends. The heavy and dank air kept fogging up my windshield and no amount of fiddling with the A/C or rolling down the windows would alleviate it. Even with the windshield...

The Other Side of Light

I was relaxing at my parent’s house in Pennsylvania when my dog, Felix, began whinnying and pawing at the door. “You have to go out?” I said. Felix’s reply was a short bark. Hauling myself off the couch, I slipped on my shoes and opened the front door. Felix bounded...