Category: Life Lessons

I wrote stories in February and April of last year about my friend, Chuck, and a lot we owned in Rotunda West, Florida.  We purchased it over fifty years ago as an investment.  We were young entrepreneurs who knew nothing about real-estate investing but took the plunge anyway. We made a plan to sell the …

Over the years I’ve learned one of the best ways to teach something is by example.  Doing a good deed demonstrates more than talking about one.  My dad taught me a lot without telling me he was teaching me.  He did things, and I imitated him.  I don’t recall a time when his actions contradicted …

When it comes to travel, Ruth and I are planners.  We typically have at least two trips scheduled and add another at the conclusion of the first.  We know where we’re headed and where we plan to stay.  We book in advance and leave nothing to chance.  We have our preferred hotel chain and book …

When Ruth and I decided on names for our three kids, we wanted strong names we’d like both as their formal name and potential abbreviated version.  David might become Dave, Elizabeth – Liz,  and Michael – Mike.  We both defer to the more formal David, Elizabeth, and Michael.  That’s how I plan to roll with …

I met Rozlyn Heart at the Beach Bar on Clark Lake.  She was our server.  It was about this time twenty years ago.  She introduced herself as Lindsay, and I remember thinking, “This is a girl David would like.”  She had a look I knew he’d fall for.  She was more than cute and just …

Ruth and Kate were close knit sisters, born two years apart.  I called Kate, Mom, and her dancing partner was my Aunt Ruth.  Ruth married Harry near the beginning of World War II, and Kate married Tony at the end.  Harry and Tony were best friends.  Marriage brought children, and children brought new responsibilities.   The …

A fable is a story intended to impart a useful truth.  Many, if not most, use animals as characters telling the tale.  This is not one of those.  This is, rather, an attempt to provide a useful truth through the use of real people doing real things. During the 1920’s, the black population in Detroit …

I sat behind Sheri Z. during my high school senior year History of Religion class. .  Sheri and I talked everyday. I thought she was one of the prettiest girls in school. She was soft spoken with beautiful eyes.  Through our conversations, I learned she was nice too.  I thought she was special, too special …

I’ve never been what some might call “a player”.  Except for my junior year of college, I never dated, or even considered dating, more than one or two girls at a time.  Most of the time, it was just one.  I found one was all I could handle. My first girl was Beverly.  She was …

The damage to The Villages, and surrounding area, took place in a matter of minutes.  The repairs took more than a year.  Dozens of  blue tarps remained in the villages of Mallory and Caroline well after the tornado’s first anniversary..  It wasn’t that the workers were slow, there was just too much to do.   …