A suggestion or a command?

Early in my life I learned a valuable lesson – to distinguish between a suggestion and a command. Initially I did not understand. I learned quickly when my parents disciplined me for interpreting a command as a suggestion! A command was non-negotiable and my...

Overlooking an Offense

In her book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin chronicles the impact of Lincoln’s kindness to his enemies even as they attacked and smeared him. President Lincoln’s unwillingness to retaliate produced results for...

Misplaced Confidence

While watching a uniformed man waving a flag from the roof of our hotel in India, my wife, Pamela, confidently exclaimed, "I am sure it is a Hindu ritual!" Forcefully and with a stubborn confidence I responded, "No! I am sure the flag waving has some...

Spiritual Glasses

Recently, I loaned my reading glasses to a friend. She immediately laughed and asked, "How often do you clean your glasses?" Obviously not often enough! Using reading glasses to correct the deficits in my vision is not the total answer to my farsightedness....