Grace Notes

“Hello, this is Dr. ____. I’m calling in regard to your lab results. Your troponin levels came back as positive. You need to get to an ER as soon as you can.” Thus ended my Saturday afternoon, with my wife taking me directly to the emergency room (but not before cancelling our dinner reservation to [...]

I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people. —Rosa Parks       I recently read a brief biography of Rosa Parks—one of the most recognized civil rights activists in American history. Sometimes referred to as the “first lady of civil rights,” Parks [...]

Breaking the Cycle of Incivility ci·vil·i·ty: formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech. in·ci·vil·i·ty: rude or unsociable speech or behavior. The rule of civility in our country has apparently gone searching for a new home. Politeness and respect are virtually missing from our social exchanges be it in public debate, social media, or barstool [...]

Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?  Ralph: That about sums it up for me.                                                                                     —From the movie Groundhog Day Here in Ohio, we’re beginning week six of the governor’s order to shelter in place due [...]

An Easter to Remember If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he [...]

Faith in the Time of Coronavirus When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain. – Bob Dylan from Slow Train Coming There’s no question that the current pandemic has caused all of us to step back, take a breath, and recalibrate. Our world as we know it has been tilted a bit on [...]

"To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.” —A.C. Grayling For those of us who like to read, we can probably cite two or three books that have had [...]

The common denominator of success – the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful – lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do. ~ Albert E. N. Gray The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder. ~ Thomas [...]

All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do. ” ~ Norman Vincent Peale Every January 1st, millions of people make New Year resolutions – to lose weight, to stop smoking, to exercise more, etc. – only to [...]