29 May

Blessed Thorns

I opened a fortune cookie that had the message “There is no rose without a thorn.” Initially, I took this to mean that with every thing of beauty, there is also pain and/or suffering but the message might be deeper than a simple contrast between “good” and “bad”. Read More

17 Feb

Call For Arms

Well, it’s happened again. Another school shooting. The reactions are standard boilerplate at this point. Devastation of the affected families, students and communities followed by the calls for prayer and support and lastly, the finger-pointing and political maneuvering. You name the faction, I could probably tell you, word for word, what their response will be. I could also tell you the end result: absolutely nothing. If we really want to prevent these kinds of events from happening in the future, perhaps we could approach the problem in a different way.
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13 Apr

Akshardham

India trip notes part 5

As frenetic yet organized as my day in Agra was, the next day was the complete opposite. My flight home was scheduled to depart that evening at 8:20pm, so I had the entire day to explore. I had no official tours planned, but there were two places I wanted to visit: Swaminarayan Akshardham and Lotus Temple. Read More

15 Mar

WE can do this!

Some people point to the troubled Affordable Care Act as a perfect example of governmental overreach, bloat, and failure. The leaders who have called for its repeal for years are now poised to make that a reality. Some see the result of the election as a mandate to get rid of this flawed law and save the American people a ton of money. I get it Read More

20 Feb

Taj at Last!

India trip notes part 4

It was a short drive into Agra to get to the grounds of the Taj Mahal. First, we met up with my guide, Jagu, who, upon entering the car, proceeded to run down a long list of instructions about how things were to proceed and rules of engagement with the local folks. Read More

05 Feb

The Road to Agra

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India trip notes part 3

So, here’s the scene. I landed in New Delhi at 11:00pm, and I arrived at and was checked into my hotel room by around 12:30am. I was starving and keyed up from the road, so I got something to eat and didn’t wind up going to bed until about 2:00am. I had to be up at 5:30am (at the latest) to be in the lobby by 6:00am for the 3 hour drive into Agra, Uttar Pradesh, the city where the Taj resides. Read More

01 Feb

The Light of Possibility

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India trip notes part 2

My good friend Suzanne is a world traveler. She’s become a role model to me as someone who has had extraordinary dreams and achieved them, so it’s fitting that a conversation with her was the catalyst that started to make my dream actually begin to take form. Read More

24 Mar

Looking for Love

Heart Shape cut on Old Wooden Boards

Filled with dread, I made my way to the local cable office. My sense of foreboding came from knowing exactly what I’d find there: technological malfunction, disgruntled customers, and apathetic customer service representatives. Upon my arrival, I was not disappointed. Read More