The other day I was hiking with my lab, Mocha, through my favorite stretch of woods, and I couldn’t help but notice the number of trees that had blown over… roots and all. As I surveyed the surroundings, it was interesting to see several trees standing straight and tall next to those that had blown over. This peeked my curiosity… how nature had chosen some trees to be susceptible to wind and storms, while, ten feet away, others were unscathed. Taking this thought further, I began to see analogies between the strengths of some trees and the strengths of some families in the face of adversity…

The five week period that I was closed was an interesting time of living and watching life out of the norm, with every day being the same but every day being different due to lack of control of our own world. Pair that with the mental unrest of not feeling in control, knowing tomorrow probably wasn’t going to be a whole lot different. I thought to myself this must be what it feels like when you go to prison and are cut off from the world. You know you’re not in control, but you really don’t know who is. Until you realize that you can turn a bad situation into a good one…

This Memorial Day, celebrations will be a bit more reserved than they have been in the last 49 years since the holiday’s inception, but the feelings and reason for remembrance have never been greater.

Looking over America’s recent history, our desire to be free has been a costly one, not only in dollars, but lives…

It’s been roughly two months since us Ohians were told that we should stay home unless engaged in essential work or activities. This is truly a unique downtime where we still feel stress and anxiety, even though our workload has been reduced or eliminated.

Our new stress producer has come in the loss of control of our normal lives and the uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring.

So a few weeks back, I leaned on an old African remedy for relaxation and family bonding that I learned while in Ethiopia… building a fire!

As we travel down the pathway of life, never knowing what is around the next bend, we encounter quiet periods of self-reflection. During these times, many of us think back on the important people in our lives. And for me, one of the most important of those people… if not the most important of all… is my mother.

Prom, softball, baseball, track, and graduation ceremonies have all become casualties of the Covid quarantine suffered most by our seniors. And as difficult as the reality of the Covid quarantine has been for our seniors, it has been equally difficult (if not more) for our parents as well. Feeling like you got robbed this Spring? Seniors and parents of seniors, this one’s for you!

Is there anything more magical than a smile? The smile born from a baby’s first taste of ice cream, or from a child after his first solo ride on a bike without training wheels, or from that special moment when she says yes to the ring…

If you personally know a first responder, you will surely agree that they are cut of a genetic fabric that is divinely woven…

While drifting off into that pre-sleep daze, it happened…

If we don’t make a change today, our tomorrow will look like yesterday.