Tag: happiness

  • The sacrifice of thanksgiving

    When times are difficult, offering thanks can be a real sacrifice.

  • How to build lasting happiness

    The signs I helped have posted along the Michigan Road Historic Byway reminded me, while I was feeling very blue, that I had good reasons to be happy instead.

  • Seven things I want my sons to know about making their way

    Advice I gave my sons about making their way in the world.

  • Re-integrating joy

    My story of finding joy, which involved getting in touch with my inner 3-year-old.

  • The sacrifice of thanksgiving

    As we head into our Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, here’s a rerun from 2013 that seems extra relevant now. There’s always something wrong in our lives and in the world. Sometimes it threatens to crush our spirits. Can we pause for a minute to reflect on what’s good and right, and be grateful for it? I’m…

  • My bride

    It was a great day, the day of our wedding! And a great evening and entire next day alone together. There’s much more to say, but I’m writing this late Sunday night and am exhausted from the big weekend. So let this photo I took of us Downtown on Saturday evening suffice for now.

  • You probably wouldn’t do the things you say you’d do if only you had more time

    The tiger lilies and the phlox in my front garden always bloom last. Their annual emergence is my sure sign summer is here. The days on either side of solstice are my favorite time of year. The days last so long, with 15 hours of glorious daylight. It’s usually temperate in Indiana, with highs in the 70s…

  • The sacrifice of thanksgiving

    I’m not by nature a happy person. That doesn’t mean I’m an unhappy person. I just don’t go around all day thinking sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns. I see the good and the bad. I’m also a bit of a type-A personality. I have a considerable internal drive to make things better and to fix what is…

  • Seven things I want my sons to know about making their way

    Now that you’re both teenagers, my job as your dad is changing. When you were little, my job was more about teaching you some basics, keeping you safe, and showing you love. Now it’s about slowly letting go and coaching from the sidelines so you can go in your own direction and hopefully find success…

  • Everything you need

    Most of my life I thought I had to make myself right before I could approach God. I had to stop swearing, stop having sex with my girlfriend, stop lying to cover up things I didn’t want to admit, and stop eating entire large pizzas for comfort when I was feeling blue. I needed to…