by Bary Fleet | Jul 8, 2018 | Uncategorized
She was five, waiting outside for the bus to come take her to kindergarten. “Mom, do you smell that?” “What do you smell?” her mother replied. “Just an ordinary, awesome day!” she said. Just an ordinary, awesome day! How often do YOU smell that? Contrast that with...
by Bary Fleet | Jul 2, 2018 | Uncategorized
I guess it got lost along the way, but I used to have a sign above my desk – a quote supposedly by Mark Twain – that said: “If you have a frog to swallow, don’t look at it too long; and, if you have more than one frog to swallow, swallow the biggest one first!”...
by Bary Fleet | Jun 27, 2018 | Uncategorized
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” According to Wikipedia, those are the words of Edward Everett Hale, an American author, historian...
by Bary Fleet | May 12, 2018 | Holidays
Today while talking to a friend, she confided that Mother’s Day is a very difficult day for her. “She was a real bitch!” she said about her mother. “How am I supposed to feel?” I asked another woman what she was doing for the day and she replied, “Well, I’m not a...
by Bary Fleet | Apr 30, 2018 | Uncategorized
When I was in seminary, I was the Youth Minister for a church a couple of hours away from the campus. One of the couples in the congregation provided housing and meals for me each weekend. John was a machinist for R.J. Reynolds and Rachel was an inspector at the...
by Bary Fleet | Apr 11, 2018 | Uncategorized
About a month ago, we scheduled an appointment with our CPA to get our taxes filed. As part of the process, I – like all of us, I suspect – systematically go through our checkbooks and credit card statements to find any tax-deductible expenses. When I was an...
by Bary Fleet | Apr 3, 2018 | Uncategorized
I’ve seen several ads lately, as I’m sure you have also, from various companies offer to do a “Free” deep scan of your computer. Debbie asked me what the difference is between a “full scan” and a “deep scan?” Not being a techie, I didn’t have a clue … but I...
by Bary Fleet | Mar 14, 2018 | Uncategorized
I just returned from spending a delightful weekend with my three youngest grandsons, ages 6,5 and almost 4. Debbie couldn’t go, but she sent a book about a leprechaun making a mess at school and ending with an invitation for the students to set a trap and stop his...
by Bary Fleet | Mar 5, 2018 | Uncategorized
I was privileged to grow up in a very sheltered environment. In many ways, my life was idyllic. When I was nine, that sense of peace was being eroded. I didn’t understand all the dynamics, but here’s what I knew and observed: The union at Westinghouse was on...
by Bary Fleet | Feb 27, 2018 | Uncategorized
Let’s Think About This As a former pastor, I feel a little curious when I hear people suggesting that part of today’s social problems is because “they” won’t allow God in the schools any more. I’ve always taught – and believed – that God is “omnipresent” …...
