Back in 1952 Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book entitled, The Power of Positive Thinking. To some it was a book of wishful thinking. To others it brought transformation to mediocre lives. I must confess it has been a long time since I read the book but its central thesis gripped me mind. You have…
There were times when I was leaving the house that my beloved would say to me, “Duane, are you wearing that?” My immediate assumption was, “She doesn’t think that what I have on is appropriate.” A variation might be, “Do you think that tie matches your outfit?” Her question usually resulted in a change of clothing.…
This month’s article is from “Today’s Helping of Chicken soup for the Soul” and is dedicated to our son Lowell, the editor, and owner of this paper. Lowell’s story does not involve overcoming a major physical handicap, but he has persevered through some major setbacks. His endurance, perseverance, and stamina in life have been manifested in…
The definition of love is probably as varied as the number of people you ask. However, there was one common thread among the hundreds of couples that came for counseling: their love was measured by the intensity and frequency of their sexual relationship. That is what I would call erotic love. The word erotic derives from the…
Winston Churchill said, “Courage is the most important virtue because the effective practice of all other virtues depends upon courage.” Merriam Webster defines courage as: “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” Virtuous behavior does not come naturally. Let’s face it . . . it takes inner courage and…
“To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep, No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and…
According to the authors of the book Significa, the world’s champion complainer was a man named Ralph Charrell. Charrel received over $100,000 as a result of his systematic complaining. His smallest refund was of $6.95 and his largest was $25,000. Charrel spent time every day making phone calls and writing letters of complaint. He even…
In a classic “Peanuts” comic strip, Charlie Brown goes to Lucy for psychiatric help. He says, “What can you do when you don’t fit in? What can you do when life seems to be passing you by?” Lucy leads Charlie away from her booth and says, “Follow me. I want to show you something. See the…
My face in the mirror Isn’t wrinkled or drawn. My house isn’t dirty The cobwebs are gone. My garden looks lovely And so does my lawn. I think I might never Put my glasses back on. -Author Unknown In my study of the brain, I discovered that concentrating your thought ten times on a piece…
We probably have all been in situations of conflict where we have felt the sting of caustic comments and perhaps been the author of a few. On the other hand, we have had confrontations that have brought us face the face the reality of our situation and this had led to positive change. When it…