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ANNETTE, MILDRED, OPAL AND ESSIE | A Retrospective on Women
This is an essay about the unfairness’s that life seems to have reserved for women. In nine years of writing essays, this is the fourth essay on these meaningful inequities. As I set out to write this essay, lines from two songs come to mind. The first is from a traditional folk song called “The…
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ATTENTION: FALL OUT | Meditations Chapter 15: Verses Clayton, Mo. Through Crawdaddy, Texas
In Chapter 13 of these sacred Meditations, there was a reference to one of the basic principles of the American Army. If the Army possessed a stone tablet reflecting the Ten Army Commandment, high on that list would be the injunction about not thinking. Simply put, soldiers would be warned that they don’t get paid…
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BLOODY CODGERS | Meditations: Chapter XII, Verses Leviticus – Levi’s Jeans
BLOODY CODGERS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS ORNERY OR CODGERS ARE OFTEN BLOODY ORNERY OR ORNERY CODGERS ARE USUALLY BLOODY MEAN Meditations: Chapter XII, Verses Leviticus – Levi’s Jeans Verse 1: Good Old Words Don’t pay too much attention to the titles for this part of the current Meditations series. Nostalgia has overtaken me as there is…
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A POTPOURRI OF THOUGHTS | Meditations: Chapter 11, Verses Genesis to Exodus
Verse 1. THE AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION My final job at AT&T was in the Overseas Department where it was necessary to deal with all the other telecommunications organizations in the world on mutual problems. In many cases, it was a matter of maintaining harmonious relations with people who were very different from ourselves as well as…
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FURTHER PROFOUND MEDITATIONS | Chapter Nine: Verses Leviticus to Haggai
The last Meditation seemed to exhaust the ready reserve supply. So it was my thought to put the Meditation series aside and go on to other projects unless there was a celestial sign that further work on this series would be met with ecclesiastical acclaim. In the middle of the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium,…
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THOUGHTS THAT OCCUR LATE AT NIGHT | Meditations Chapter VIII
When the idea of Meditations was revealed to me, it was my thought that a sentence or two on each idea would be sufficient. As it turned out, some of the Meditations cannot be dismissed so lightly. Some require an explanation that would rival Genesis of Biblical fame. And so it is time to return…
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THOSE GOLDEN YEARS | Meditations – Chapter Four
There are many Americans who are cliché driven. When a person sneezes, they say “God bless you.” Tardiness is treated as “Better late than never.” Young daughters are told as they meet their dates, “Get home early” or “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Women are involved in monstrous untruths when they say, “Oh, I…
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A TOUCH OF ELEGANCE | Meditations
Calendars don’t mislead or obfuscate. They mark the inexorable passage of time. That was the burden of the message exchange recently with Shirley Morganstein, a great speech therapist who set me to writing essays nearly eight years ago. In my case, essay writing has made those years pass most pleasantly. While essay writing has occupied…
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P’ING AND M’ING | Meditations – Chapter Five, Verses 1 to Obadiah
The readers of these essays are known to be upstanding, honest, far-sighted, and are generally free from all sin, original or otherwise. There may be one or two who have sin-sick-souls, but they have other offsetting characteristics such as being kind to animals and being gracious to grandparents to make up for all other deficiencies.…
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PLAYOFF GREED
In recent weeks, the sporting scene has been dominated by the National Football League Playoffs. Under the present system, playoffs are the most important part of the long NFL schedule. The regular schedule is largely incidental. Teams play a 16-game schedule starting late in August. Each team is given a bye week when no game…