Very few experiences have impacted my life as strongly as the Army. The Salvation Army, that is. Uncle Sam didn’t want me for the U.S. Army. It was 18 years ago about right now that I interviewed for the position of development and communications director for The Salvation Army of Des ...

The world is changing so quickly we hardly notice anymore when some changes take place. For those of us over 70, many things have quietly faded from our lives. For example, when is the last time you saw … ? — Clothespin bags. Sure, you still might see clotheslines in backyards. However, ...

Each summer my family — siblings and their families — get together in a town park back home in northern Iowa for a big potluck dinner and an afternoon of conversation. For many years we met at Christmastime but the family has outgrown most of the potential indoor spaces. Summer reunions can ...

A few years in the news business transformed this naïve country boy into a skeptic. I want proof. Journalists live by the creed: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” Over the decades sources have told me incredible stories that, upon investigation, proved to be nothing ...

I fell last week. It’s not the first time, but this time I had a cake in my hands and, boy, was it a mess. I stepped on stones I couldn’t see and they rolled on the concrete like marbles. As I hit the ground, I thought, well, at least I’m not alone; it’s Market Night and there are ...

Okay, I will admit it: I enjoy studying euphemisms. Euphemisms are those words we use as a substitute for a word that may be unpleasant or offensive. Many years ago, for instance, a proper farm wife wouldn’t say “boar” or “bull.” She would euphemize with “the male animal.” The ...