Posts Tagged ‘Robert schwab’
Touched by God
I watched two remarkable stories unfold on Sunday. First, Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest soccer (football everywhere else in the world) player ever, finally led Argentina to a World Cup title. He had tried many times, come agonizingly close against Germany in 2014, and at last was successful in an epic contest that…
Read MoreA Retirement Plan for Your Mind
I had the honor of speaking to a community group this week, in a program offered by one of our local community colleges called Seniors Active in Learning. I spoke and sang about health care in America, and we had a lively discussion about some of the issues in our system, including the reimbursement system,…
Read MoreWhat If…
I watched Sunday Morning on CBS yesterday, as I do most Sundays, and I was delighted to see a segment with Ian McEwan, author of 18 novels, most famously of Atonement, but also author of my favorite of his, On Chesil Beach. He was discussing where his ideas come from, since some of his work…
Read MoreBloomsday
Today is June 16, a day when literary geeks all over the world celebrate the life and work of James Joyce, focusing particularly on his masterpiece, Ulysses, which takes place in a single day, June 16, 1904, and whose hero is Leopold Bloom. On this day, I tip my cap to Joyce, who was a…
Read MoreThere’s Always A Story
This is a photo of one of my garden boxes. It’s Spring here in Texas, and despite our once-in-a generation freeze in February, Spring generally comes early and allows for early planting of vegetables. This box contains radishes and turnips, and there’s an identical second box that is currently holding lettuce and arugula. Later, these…
Read MoreWhat’s Kept Me Going
These are tough times for everyone. I’m in healthcare, so I see the impact of the disease on the population and I see (and feel) the impact on the healthcare system and its caregivers. I’ve struggled with my own mental health, and now that I’ve bid good riddance to 2020, I’ve spent some time thinking…
Read MoreA Big Story Completed
In my youth, nearly every boy I knew had his sports heroes. Happily, now nearly every girls does too, but not so much back then. I sure had mine, and the image on the left now completes my gallery of my personal heroes in the three major sports of my childhood era: football, baseball, and…
Read MoreAnother Bow To The Pandemic
We’ve all made concessions in our lives to adapt to this awful, strange pandemic that we now just call COVID. As I’ve said before, I recognize how lucky I am to have a job that hasn’t been taken away or restricted, and that provides me an opportunity to do meaningful work. Now, though, my publisher…
Read MoreBecoming A Member: What I’ve Learned
Last fall, I did something I never expected to do. At the kind invitation of a former colleague and valued friend (who is one of our band’s biggest fans), I joined a book club. It is a diverse collection of experienced men who gather at one member’s house monthly for a lunch, a drink, and…
Read MoreNew Acquaintances from 2019
Another year, come and gone. They do go faster these days, but every year I look back and marvel at the new literary acquaintances I’ve made. This year, there were several, the best of which is Amor Towles. The author of one of the best novels I’ve read in years, A Gentleman in Moscow, his…
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