Remembering the Good Times

Last summer, my sister Helen’s three daughters and daughter-in-law drove up from Texas for a visit. What a fun day that was! We reminisced, laughed, delved into genealogy, and caught up with each other’s lives. And, we remembered some special times with Helen. They knew Helen as their mom and I knew her as my […]

Characters and Character

“Character is much easier kept than recovered,” Thomas Paine said. But, what is character? Personality is who people think you are; character is the real you. Character is all your deeply-held beliefs, your goals, your standards, the things that make you laugh or cry; your hates, your loves, your fears, your belief in what is […]

Head of the Family

His hat hangs on a peg in my hallway. It’s not the Stetson he wore on special occasions. This one has sweat marks, and a small spot of oil. It’s the one he wore every day as he mowed lawns, drove to the sale barn, or any time he went out the door. He never […]

I’ll Bet When You Were in Kindergarten…

I’ll Bet When You Were in Kindergarten…

I’ll bet when you were in kindergarten, you were a real stinker–the kind that caused your teacher to pull her hair and your classmates to giggle. You know why? Because some of those traits still linger, hanging about your personality like so many threads dangling from a well-worn jacket. These were my thoughts this morning […]

Remembering Daddy

Remembering Daddy

Today is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate all the dads out there. Happy Father’s Day to my son, Matt Manos, who is a super father. Just ask his children. I think of my father every day but on this day, there is a particular vacancy, because DadĀ isn’t here and I can’t hear him sing […]

People Like You and Me

People Like You and Me

People. Have you ever wondered what makes them tick? Have you ever pondered what keeps them going? If you knew, really knew someone, would you like what you found out? If others really knew you, would they like you? Sometimes, these questions take on too much importance. We’re afraid of letting others get to know […]