Category: Life Lessons

When I was a kid, I heard about a section in the Bible called the begats.  It was supposed to be about birth order.  So and so begat so and so. When I googled the begats, I found that they’re genealogies that “trace who came from whom”.  They appear in “Genesis, Chronicles, and the Gospels, …

I’ve written a ton of stories for my blog.  I’ve written more than I thought I’d write starting out, but I really didn’t have a plan in the beginning, so perhaps I’m right on track.  I promised to tell the truth as I remember it, and I’ve followed that pledge. I’m a what you see …

This is the story you were supposed to see.  Ruth’s been editing again. If you’ve been reading my blog over the past several weeks, you know that I’ve been taking dance lessons. It’s been harder than I thought it would be. Barbara and I have completed three classes, dropped out of one and started three …

I took my Marriage Rules and AI’s advice, put them in a pot, shook them together and asked AI to summarize our joint observations.  When the words came out, I had the UMRF.  I think it’s pretty good.                                   …

The artificial intelligent site I checked out provided the following observations regarding marriage.  They’re matter of fact, built on statistics rather than personal observations.  That doesn’t make them bad, just different. The ones I developed for David, Elizabeth and Michael were “before” marriage guidelines.  AI’s are more encompassing. Align on Core Values Shared beliefs about …

Almost thirty years ago I developed The Marriage Rules for David, Elizabeth and Michael.  The boys had brought home their current girlfriends during the college Christmas break. Michael was a freshman at Michigan State and David was a junior at Spring Arbor. I wrote the following blog about the development of the marriage rules and …

After Ruth died I didn’t have anyone to hold a conversation with.  I was alone. My three kids checked in on me to make sure I was OK.  My friends and sisters did too, but checking in is different than having a meaningful conversation. If you’re engaged in a relationship, it’s normal to discuss the news …

Tomorrow marks another Thanksgiving without several people I love. I chose Ruth and my friends, Jim and Mitch, to be a part of my life. Each one changed me bit by bit. I was born into my parents and cousin, Gene. It was love based upon circumstance. I didn’t have a say in the matter, …

I originally wrote this tale in June of 2019. It was called Second Chances. I was about a year and a half into writing my blog when I published it. A ton has changed since that day. Life is full of surprises. Some are good. Some are tough to take. A couple of times a …

Next Wednesday I start facilitating a group for Singles New Beginnings.  The official description reads as follows: The focus of this course is taking small action steps to grow your relationships in number and depth.  Instead of working alone, the company of like-minded people can make the difference between success and failure, hope and despair.  …