Regular readers of this Journal and Web site know that I’ve survived more than my share of personal tragedy, heartache and trauma.

But I agree with the old saying: “You can’t control what happens to you in life — you can only control how you react to it.”

So I’ve always tried to find meaning and purpose in my [more...]

Regular visitors to this Web site know that I’ve survived several bad things in my life, including domestic violence. That’s why I considered it an honor to be able to help victims become survivors, by working more than full-time as a volunteer at a domestic violence center and shelter for an entire year.

Along with serving as a legal advocate, both in and out of the courts, I was happy to help out many other ways, including caring for [more...]

Anyone who’s spent more than a little time on this Web site knows that my wife and I absolutely love our pets.

Of course our pets really love us, too, but most people are surprised to see that they also love each other. We set our expectations for each of them early on, so our cats and dogs have always [more...]

You’ve seen examples of some of them in episodes of Seinfeld and other TV sitcoms.

On TV, they can be pretty funny to watch.

But dealing with them in real life is a whole different experience. [more...]

More than ten years ago, up in the Frostbite State, my wife and I used to shop at a Cub Foods store that had 22 double-length aisles filled with groceries.

The selection was tremendous and the prices were great, but the store was so huge that it always took a long time to find everything that we were looking for.

So, way back then, I created a [more...]

Here’s another Do-It-Yourself story, like last month’s Some Like It Hot and Working Hard To Make It Soft, as well as My $135 Gamble last Christmas.

A few nights ago, I went into the garage to do some laundry. After a few minutes, I heard a loud buzzing noise that sounded like [more...]

Over the years, I’ve been very blessed to have had the opportunity to help a lot of people.

But, depending on my mood, sometimes I feel like my small contribution of good to the world has been really insignificant. [more...]

Merry Christmas!

Way back when I was a kid, only a few people complained every year that Christmas was becoming too commercialized.

But over the years, more and more people joined that chorus. [more...]

Coming just nine months after it received its 2-millionth visit, this Web site will have its 3-millionth visitor in a couple of hours.

As always, I’m astounded, honored and humbled by its popularity, and by the positive feedback that I receive from its visitors. [more...]

Here’s another Do-It-Yourself story, like Working Hard To Make It Soft two weeks ago and My $135 Gamble last Christmas.

Two days ago, I noticed a small stream in our garage. It was only about 6 inches wide, slowly flowing from [more...]