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A few years ago, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania studied the lives of National Spelling Bee finalists. She wanted to find out how they reached this significant accomplishment. Many people assume that they are just smarter than their peers. But the researcher found in these young people a trait more important than […]
The Lesson of the Spoon Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell Sometimes we can learn great life lessons from the simple things around us. Have you ever looked at your reflection in a spoon? When the inward-curving, concave side is turned toward us, our image is reflected upside down. But if we turn the spoon […]
Pause and Remember Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell There are few things more soul-stirring than to see veterans salute the flag they have honored and defended. Their salute reflects the kind of knowledge that can come only from experience, the humble pride born of defending the cause of liberty. To them, that flag represents freedom […]
Delivered By: Lloyd D. NewellMost marriages start out like a glowing fire, full of warmth and light. But anyone who has been married for very long knows that keeping a marriage burning strong and healthy takes effort and commitment. Like a fire, love needs constant attention and nurturing through words and acts of affection and […]
There are mothers all over the world. No matter the language, culture or continent, what a difference a mother makes. She is the purveyor of love and tenderness, which prompts nation after nation from America to Ethiopia, Thailand to my homeland of Wales to honor mothers with a day of tribute once a year. The […]
Max Ehrmann loved to write. And so, after practicing law for a few years and bouncing between the meatpacking and manufacturing industries, he set it all aside, picked up a pen, and turned to writing full-time. Throughout his life he published books and essays and poems that reflected his wisdom, his passion for the written […]
A wise man who has experienced much in life recalled how, as a boy, he and his friends used to carve toy boats out of wood and race them down the river. They quickly realized that their boats were completely at the mercy of the current; if it led a boat into a whirlpool or […]
In this remarkable age, everything seems to be moving faster and faster. The Internet provides almost instantaneous information; communication crosses oceans and continents in a flash. Nearly all of us live fast-paced, hectic lifestyles. Like the view of the countryside from a speeding car, life sometimes seems to go by in a blur. The speed […]
Music has been called the timeless and universal language—a language of peace, of love, of hope. No matter where we live, regardless of our age and stage of life, music can lift and inspire us, it can soften and console us, it can instruct and entertain us. Such music becomes like a lifelong friend—we can […]
For many years, a husband and wife had been gathering branches that fell from the trees on their heavily wooded lot. One by one they stacked the branches in a pile next to the creek in their backyard. As time went on, the mound grew into a mountain of wood, and they finally determined they […]
One cold day, toward the end of a long, snowy winter, a family noticed serious damage to the beautiful ivy that grew on the outside of their home. It seemed that hungry deer had been feeding on it throughout the winter, until nothing but a tangle of brown sticks remained. The tender plants appeared damaged […]
We live in a world that seems to have stopped listening. Sound bites have replaced conversation; texting has displaced telephone calls; rhetoric has supplanted dialogue; and multitasking has divided our attention. So often, listening isn’t on the list of things to do and so it gets overlooked. Famed solo percussionist and composer Dame Evelyn Glennie, […]
When Adam Geibel was only nine days old, he caught a cold that led to an eye infection. What should have been a routine treatment for the infection went tragically wrong, and he was left blind for the rest of his life. Tragic accidents like this one can sometimes discourage people from striving to achieve […]
The classic western film Shane depicts a tragic conflict between ranchers and farmers. In one scene, the distressed wife of a farmer, feeling a need for comfort in the troubled situation, runs to her husband’s arms and says, “Hold me. Don’t say anything. Just hold me—tight.” She didn’t need advice or even kind words, just […]
The Gallup organization recently released a poll whose purpose was to measure positive emotions worldwide. A thousand people in more than a hundred countries were contacted and asked about their previous day. How often had they smiled or laughed? Did they feel respected? Did they learn or accomplish something interesting? According to the survey, the […]
Have you ever bumped into someone you knew years ago, surprised to find how much he or she had changed for the better? Life is full of little miracles, but this is perhaps the greatest miracle of all—to see people change, grow, and improve, day by day and little by little. Imagine how different life […]
When was the last time you tried something you had never done before? As creatures of habit, we tend to eat the same foods, take the same route home from work, and surround ourselves with the same people every day. There’s comfort in the familiar—that’s why we call it our “comfort zone.” But how many […]
The love shared between George and Martha Washington continues to inspire one generation after another. George and Martha loved each other not just in times of peace but also through the separation and hardships of war. For 40 years they supported, confided in, and trusted one another. They had each other’s best interests at heart. […]
Most of us have some treasures, souvenirs, and mementos around that mean a great deal to us. They might include a photo or knick-knack, an item that has special meaning. Perhaps they remind us of a loved one, a favorite vacation, a treasured memory, a special place or event. Some of these items are tossed […]
You don’t have to travel far down the path of life to realize that it’s full of stumbling blocks. Avoiding them is an important skill, but perhaps even more important is the ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep going after we’ve stumbled—and we all do from time to time. In the […]
Music is inseparable from life. Its influence is felt both in our personal lives and in the course of history—perhaps most powerfully in the way it has given voice to noble causes throughout the ages. Never was this more evident than during the civil rights movement of decades past. Martin Luther King Jr. said of […]
For well over 200 years, the United States Military Academy at West Point, an institution filled with traditions of excellence and achievement, has observed a curious tradition on graduation day. “Every year, the last-ranking cadet to make it through to graduation is anointed the goat, showered with praise, given a dollar from every other fellow […]
No matter who we are or where we live, we all experience hardship. But some tragedies are so horrific or inexplicable that they break the hearts of concerned observers across the country—even around the world. At such moments, complete strangers come together to offer sympathy, comfort, and help. The human family unites in a demonstration […]
The prospect of a new year can give us a sense of opportunity, possibility, and purpose. We feel more determined to try a little harder, reach a little farther, and somehow do a little more. What before may have seemed out of reach suddenly enters the realm of possibility when we resolve with newness of […]
A long time ago and a long way away, the sun settled into a holy night unlike any before or since. Out of darkness came the glorious light of a new star; in the meekness of a manger was born greatness that would change the world; and in the quiet of a shepherd’s field came […]
On a cold winter night not long ago, a young family seeking to feel the real joy of the Christmas season volunteered to serve dinner in a homeless shelter. At first, some of the younger children were a bit frightened by the sights, smells, and sounds of the inner-city shelter. They had never been so […]
In 1783, after eight years of war, General George Washington wanted to be home for Christmas. He had been with his small band of soldiers, experiencing the hardships and horrors of the Revolutionary War, since his commission in 1775 as commander in chief. In 1776 he spent Christmas crossing the Delaware amid ice floes and […]
For years a certain family was plagued by resentment. Various members refused to speak to each other, weddings went unattended, and children were growing up without knowing their cousins. The years had given family members plenty of time to justify their behavior and blame the others for their injuries. And then, in a sudden impulse […]
Have you ever received a gift that you could tell was made just for you? Not something that was mass produced and purchased from a department store, but something a loved one caringly crafted with you in mind. Maybe the craftsmanship wasn’t perfect, but you were more than willing to overlook any imperfections because you […]
Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy spoke to members of the First Armored Division in Fort Stewart, Georgia, who had been deployed during the Cuban missile crisis. During his speech, he recited a poem: “God and the soldier, all men adore In time of danger and not before When the danger is passed and […]