A Giving Nature

A Giving Nature

A Giving Nature “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” Sir Edmund Hillary Early on in our marriage, my wife, Liz, and I took a trip to Carmel, California, one of the most romantic places ever. There is something in the air, or water, or trees...
Oops!

Oops!

Oops! “Do the best you can, and don’t take life too seriously.” Will Rogers While on vacation with my family several years ago, I noticed on successive nights two busboys drop plates and glasses while clearing tables, and I remembered my own...
A Man of His Word

A Man of His Word

A Man of His Word “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr. When I started in the insurance business, I knew nothing about insurance. But gradually, through the help and guidance of many...
What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” William Shakespeare When I was twenty-one, I was out on a first date with a young woman whom I met through a friend. We went to dinner at the Summer House, which had dining and a theater-style bar. It...
Shhhhhhh!

Shhhhhhh!

Shhhhhhh! “Sometimes nothing is a good thing to say.” Anonymous Years ago, I was a board member of a small foundation. I had missed a meeting and, when I returned, had heard that there had been quite a squabble at the last meeting, and one of the newer board members...
A Favor for a Friend

A Favor for a Friend

A Favor for a Friend “If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.” Robert South One of our neighbors when I was a kid was Henry Silva, who appeared along with the Rat Packers, Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, and...