All Posts Tagged With: "Life"
I Wrote My Own Story
This whole series of essays has explored the nurture and nature of my life. Some attempt to sort out nature and nurture necessarily meant writing less than favorable events in my family. All has been true. Which brings us to a sticking point, a conflict of philosophy – that of individual accountability and responsibility. There […]
20Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
Serenity and Social Justice
I like the idea of social justice. Probably because there are many opportunities to challenge society, to fight with others, to maintain the moral high ground, to bask in the righteousness of being right all the time. Social Justice has been a ball and chain in my life. Check this out: I just googled who […]
6Jan2018 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Retired? How Do You Know?
I live in Missouri, northern Missouri. I tell people that I am one generation removed from hillbillies – which means my parents were most likely rednecks, and it follows that I am a redneck too. Or was. I went to college and the rednecks disqualified me. Anyway, I know some hillbillies, rednecks, and the watered […]
27Jan2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Retired? How Do You Know? | Continued
The Staying Power of Hannah Montana – and Miley Cyrus
I have written before that I know more about 1521 C.E. Europe than I do about pop culture in America today. But this magazine of ours has prompted me to look around. I even wrote a post on Lindsay Lohan. Hannah Montana’s name came up recently because she was selling out a concert in Kansas […]
11Dec2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Belonging in the Lower Class
As we grow up from a child to adult, we are always looking to be a part of something. We are constantly in search of whom we are and our purpose. Throughout our adolescence we play sports, participate in the band, or other school activities. As we mature the path becomes more precise. Our experiences […]
10Oct2008 | Cole James | 1 comment | Continued
Grief – an Emotional Response to the Economy
Son, I am suffering the stock market drop. My portfolio for retirement has been devastated. The emotion is gripping. As I pondered my own reaction I realized that I am suffering a grief response. This is not an academic discussion – people across America are suffering the grief of real loss. So what is Grief? […]
22Jan2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Grief – an Emotional Response to the Economy | Continued
Family Life and Family Values
Son, I respect the values you and your spouse have adopted. But life is not all or nothing – your choices have actually provided your family opportunities that others will not have. This is not criticism, this is a compliment. The ideas of no debt, of frugal money management, of thrift store shopping, of minimal […]
27Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Family Life and Family Values | Continued
A letter from Barack Obama…
Dad, I just got this letter from the Obama campaign. I want to share it because it represents why I will vote for him. I believe him. Bryan. ______ Dear Bryan, Six years ago, on a bright and beautiful Tuesday morning, a new kind of enemy came to America’s shores. We will never forget the […]
11Sep2007 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
Same turkey, different flavors
Son, As you are well aware, I like to bake a turkey. Not so much the turkey – but the turkey dinner experience. When I bake a whole turkey I like to prepare my favorite oyster dressing ( my own recipe.) While the turkey cooks I like to make my own bread (I have developed […]
11Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Same turkey, different flavors | Continued
responsible turkeys?
Dad, I am baking a turkey for dinner. Its a lot of work. Do you think that. accounting for the amount of work and the weight of the bones and stuff, that it is a better deal to buy a turkey at a dollar a pound than to buy, say, boneless skinless meats that are […]
11Sep2007 | bryan | Comments Off on responsible turkeys? | Continued
Mistakes in parenting
Son, I feel a little embarrassed about giving advice on parenting. Your mother and I were talking last week and we both felt that our children turned out pretty well – in spite of us. I talk today about acting out of love – but that was not really my style. I was a parent […]
11Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Protecting children from themselves.
Son, Parenting is difficult. Your sister was in the Rainbow Honors Program in elementary school. When she was preparing for middle school she told me that she no longer wanted to be in the honors program. I asked, “Why not.” “Well”, she said in her 12 year old wisdom, “I don’t have enough time to […]
11Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Protecting children from themselves. | Continued
My daughter doesn’t want to go to school…
Dad, My daughter didn’t want to go to school today. She was screaming for me when I left. I was crushed, but I know that she enjoys school. She is discovering that this thing is for good, i think, and she wants to came home and hang out with her brother and I. It is […]
11Sep2007 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Pit Bulls and Republicans
Son, The attack dogs are breeding. The muffling process of the Primaries disguises the Machiavellian mentality of self proclaimed leaders. Only restricted by fear that they might harm their pack, the Republicans are frustrated. They are off stride. The Democrats are well ahead in the money game. An unpopular President George Bush holds the leash […]
11Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Pit Bulls and Republicans | Continued
a virtual fireside chat…
the fireside chat -episode 001 Dad, Hey, it’s our first podcast! I think the reference to the original fireside chats of FDR is apropriate, since the radio was his tool to create a sense of closeness with his audience. It worked, and it seems we have come in a virtual full circle. From writing to […]
11Sep2007 | bryan | Comments Off on a virtual fireside chat… | Continued
Voting for Republicans…
Son, I voted for one Republican for President – and he quit. I have never voted for another. I was conflicted in 1980. I did not like the choices. I voted for the independent John Anderson. I have difficulty imagining the circumstances that would convince me to vote for any Republican for any national office. […]
10Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Ike Skelton asks one question…
Son, Ike Skelton states he will ask but one question, calling himself a country lawyer and qualifying that the leadership of Iraq appear “to be sitting on their thumbs…” So, “Mr. Ambassador, why should we expect the next six months to be any different?” Ambassador Crocker, “These are extremely complex endeavors…it is going to be […]
10Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Ike Skelton asks one question… | Continued
Ambassador Crocker Continues…
Son, Ambassador Crocker says, “Iraqis are struggling to come to terms with a society that does not punish…I believe that Iraq’s leaders have the will to face the challenges before them…they approach the task with a deep sense of patriotism…The commitment of Iraq’s leaders to work on these issues is encouraging…Iraqi Provincial gains have been […]
10Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Ambassador Crocker Continues… | Continued
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, on ‘the surge’
Son, United States Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, is giving testimony to the Congress. He just said, “Iraq continues to be a traumatized society.” Well, I guess he might be right. Dad
10Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Ambassador Ryan Crocker, on ‘the surge’ | Continued
Patreus is calling for a drawdown of troops
Son, General Patreus has just called for a ‘drawdown’ in U.S. Troops in Iraq. He is trying to explain what he means – I am getting confused with all of the details. That is the problem. This is a complicated issue with huge consequences…. Now Patreus is reiterating the dire consequences of a rapid retreat…. […]
10Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Patreus is calling for a drawdown of troops | Continued
Listening to General Patreus
Son, I am listening to General Patreus right now. The hearing opened with partisan statements by two Democrats and two Republicans. I wish those folks would just keep their faces shut so we can hear what the man has to say. They already threw several protesters out of the hearing – the partisan showmanship should […]
10Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The question – What did I learn from my Dad
Son, In an earlier post I recounted an experience with my father. I was robbed, he reacted with anger and violence. I asked in the post, “What did I learn?” The post was titled “1963 – parenting in a tough world.” It is only with forty-five years of processing that I can answer the question. […]
9Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The question – What did I learn from my Dad | Continued
Enabling Our Children to Fail
Son, Please forgive me. You mentioned in an earlier post that you “…occasionally found myself in trouble.” I share in the fault. I will give you the notion that you were an adolescent, seeking independence and control of your own life. I will give you that adolescents make some bad choices. But I have to […]
9Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Enabling Our Children to Fail | Continued
Parenting, mythology and reality
Son, The Navy finished a job that I was unable to accomplish. You transitioned from an adolescent into a young man. Joseph Campbell might say this was a normal process. The mythology of parenting over the recorded history of man suggests, according to Campbell, that the mother and father each have roles, but the village […]
9Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Parenting, mythology and reality | Continued
1963 – Parenting in a tough world
Son, I was out collecting money from my paper route patrons. It was the week after John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. I was walking in the 1800 block of Felix Street when three older boys approached me; they were about 19 – I was 13. They told me to give them my money. I […]
8Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on 1963 – Parenting in a tough world | Continued
Finding Acceptance – The Beginnings of Discrimination
Son, Four year old children see the world as we do – but they do not have the same life experience. She goes to school and feels the nuances of acceptance and rejection. We are inherently social creatures and have a need for acceptance in a group. This need fits the category of survival instincts. […]
8Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Finding Acceptance – The Beginnings of Discrimination | Continued
Fundamentalism: The Right To Be Wrong
Dad, I suppose that you are right, that mine is a family that would only be described as “non-traditional” by Focus on the Family. I don’t pretend to believe that they have a solid grasp on the traditions of family systems. I think that the danger of allowing the fundamentalist to paint the larger American […]
6Sep2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Fundamentalism: The Right To Be Wrong | Continued
Non-traditional families – what is that?
Son, You note that yours is a ‘non-traditional’ family. I don’t quite get it. There is a loving, married, mother and father, a daughter and a son, all living under one roof. You and your spouse worry about the health, safety, and future of your family. The description of your family describes the traditional family […]
6Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Non-traditional families – what is that? | Continued
A product of…well, you…
Dad, I have too many irons in the fire, so to speak. I like my life that way. I start projects often, and I am learning how to chip away at them until they start to take shape. I have three blogs, a podcast, two children with whom I am the primary care provider, six […]
4Sep2007 | bryan | Comments Off on A product of…well, you… | Continued
Have I overwhelmed my Son?
Son, As you know, I am an animated and verbose person. Those traits have served me and hindered me. I have used my personality to convey meaning, to articulate finer points, to debate, and to WIN. I fear that I have also used my wordiness to overwhelm, as a defense mechanism to keep others at […]
4Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Have I overwhelmed my Son? | Continued
Family Support
Son, I was at a Bantam League Football game yesterday, watching your nephew play. This is his first year of tackle football – he is in the third grade. Your Mom and older sister were there. We had a nice chat. Your younger sister and her husband just closed on a new house on Friday. […]
2Sep2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Family Support | Continued