A story of how something lost can lead to discovering what community is all about.

It is forgivable to give your children affirmation when they do not deserve it.  It is unforgivable to not do so when they do.

Thank God for those who do not stand on the dots….. As I sat on my deck drinking my cup of coffee on this rare cool August morning, I read the following from my favorite blogger: On the dot  Hardy came home from school and proudly showed his mom the cheap plastic trinkets he had earned that day. “I stood quietly on the dot and so I got some tickets. And if I stand on the dot quietly tomorrow, I can get some more prizes!” First grade! That’s one way to indoctrinate kids in both obedience and consumption. It’s rare we see it so brazenly and vividly executed. Is standing…

Dear James, Here is the 4th and final installment of “The People We Meet” from my Basque Trip. Day 16 – The Tour de France in Bilbao, Spain – The Mother The “Grand Depart” of the Tour de France would occur in Bilbao with the first stage starting and ending there. Through very fortunate circumstances that occurred in South Africa of all places, I was given VIP passes for the start and end of the race, allowing us to be near the teams. As we mingled at the finish line in our VIP tent, I met a family with three teenage sons. Americans, they now lived in Japan. I told…

Dear James, Here is the third installment of “The People We Meet” from my Basque Trip. It covers the cycling part of my trip in the French Pyrenees and the Rioja Region – days 10 through 15. Day 10 – The Swimmers in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France We left San Sebastián early in the morning, took a train across the border to Biarritz, where we met our Cycling Group. We cycled 16 miles to Jean-de-Luz, a beautiful French Basque Coastal town. I decided to go for a swim. Because it was later in the day, the only other swimmers were two teenage boys jumping off of a diving platform located 75 yards…

This morning I read an article in the NYT that is very salient. For years I have been trying to get people to engage with me on the issue of economic inequality. Let me first say that I firmly believe that we still have systemic racism in our country. However, we also have systemic economic discrimination. But we ignore that. Even many minorities want to sweep that issue under the rug because it dilutes their message and complicates the issue. I get it. But that does not make it right. Maybe the Supreme Court’s recent decision will help all of us focus on economic discrimination as well. A friend of…

Days 1 & 2 – June 15th and 16th I am looking forward to spending two weeks in the Basque Region.  I have wanted to visit this region ever since walking the last seven stages of the French Camino in the northwest corner of Spain several years ago. During my 17 days in the region, I will be visiting three of the largest cities in Basque (Bilbao, San Sebastian and Pamplona), while also seeing a number of small villages on my hike on the first three stages of the French Camino and my cycling trip with Backroads through the Pyrenees.  Located in the western Pyrenees, The Basque Region is home…

As most of my friends know, our youngest son Carter loves movies.  He has for as long as I can remember. I will never forget when Elizabeth got a call from Carter’s 3rd Grade teacher informing her that the class was studying Roman history. The teacher, who at the time was dating one of my subordinates at work, knew Elizabeth and me socially. And because of that familiarity, she felt comfortable calling Elizabeth to tell her what transpired next in her class. The teacher informed Elizabeth that during the discussion of Roman history Carter’s friend Jake told the class that he had seen “Gladiator” with Carter at the Franklin’s house.…