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A long time ago — well one week ago — the much heralded “North American Eclipse” came to Allen. Weather forecasters happily forecasted that we probably wouldn’t be able to see it anyway. Clouds they said. I watched all this with a sort of wishy-washy attitude. I sort of wanted to see it but I sure wasn’t going to drive down toward Idabel and position myself so I could experience the full eclipse experience. I saw on my TV the story of this one family dragging their family and their trailer 1,700 miles to Texas so they could experience this historical celestial event together as a family. Foolish, I thought, as I wondered if I would even go outside for a peek or not.
Read moreCaitlin Clark will do great in the WNBA. She can shoot, she can pass and she’s a savvy player.
Read moreLetter to the City of Coalgate March 5, 2024 Mrs. Holt, I recently traveled to Coalgate to present training to local law enforcement officers. I wanted to take a moment to express my thanks to you and your officers that attended and prepared for the event. I have taught classes in several locations across Oklahoma. The time that you and your officers took to prepare for the event, to set up the classroom and to gather snacks and drinks for those in attendance was a real step above the norm. You should be proud of the impression the event left in my mind.
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Ever suddenly been transported back in time by just a whiff of a lingering smell in the air? The sight of a house? A quick glimpse of a stranger’s profile who instantly reminds you of someone in your past? Or the taste of a certain food that suddenly takes you back to Grandma’s kitchen. Probably. Unless you suffer with complete amnesia, you have memories. Memories can flare instantly, caused by the basic human senses of taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing. All of us know what it is like to suddenly relive times in our life that made an impression. Pleasant, anger-filled, or tragic. And the emotions we felt back then? Those same feelings can surge over us with the force of a fifteen-foot ocean wave. You can be sitting outdoors in the middle of a crowd of noisy concert goers, and the sudden powerful aroma of a concert-detesting skunk can make you want to laugh while everyone around you is gagging. All because you’re caught up in the memory of your big brother’s skunk faceoff many years ago. Senses kicked into high gear have the ability make a forty-something year old man feel like he’s a first grader again. All because he picks up a piece of white chalk. The cool smooth texture on his fingers, and the powdery nonsmell can trigger a memory of being the seven-year-old who back-talked the teacher. Consequences were instant and involved writing the ABCs fifty times on the chalkboard. Which also triggers the memory of the shame and anger that child felt. Similarly, the heady powerful scent of springtime lilacs can bring on childhood memories of cutting an enormous bouquet of those blooms to bring in to Momma. Each time she would smile and faithfully fill a vase with water and plunk in those long-stemmed beauties. Some hours later, you would come in from a day of playing outdoors and find those same flowers wilted and hanging dejectedly over the side of that container. Today, the realization that your mom knew what would happen in just a few short hours makes you smile at her love and tenderness. If memories are that powerful, and they are, then it is truly important to be careful making them. Oh yes, I know we can’t control our surroundings and the people around our family, only allowing a positive and happy environment twenty-four hours a day. But as adults, we need to make some effort at it for our children’s sake – for their tomorrows. Do your best to create a happy home life for your kids. So that when they are your age, those instant pops of memory at a sight, a phrase, or a smell have a lot better chance of bringing a smile to their face.
Read moreThe USS Johnnie Hutchins had reached the end of its road. It was an icecold morning with icy winds off the bay there in Bayonne, New Jersey. We, its last crew, stood there at attention – shivering as an obligatory speech or two was given extolling a few of its war exploits and history during the War II. I was proud to have served on this little 209 ft destroyerescort, but I also knew it was very cold and I was just hoping we could finish and I could get on with my life.
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The historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, agreed to by Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat and based on the Camp David Accords mediated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter in September 1978, was signed this day 1.66” X 5.8” in 1979.
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The most important Christian holiday, Easter, is a “movable feast.” Why does it change every year?
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