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Epiphany

In religious terms, an epiphany is a sudden awareness of the eternal; in secular terms it is the grasp of something singularly striking. Either way, the experience is indeed rare . . . and perhaps even life-changing. Once, when my youngest daughter Leah was seeking a subject to make a

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“Small Universes”

I’m a constant observer of people, which feeds into my hobbies of art work and writing. We all live in our own unique universes. Yes, we are part of many larger groups, but our true personality manifests in a world of our own design. Here’s a few groups . .

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More

Everything American tells us that we must have more – more land; more money; more house; more things; more business; more respect; more security; more professional satisfaction . . . more of everything. Imagine that you are traveling on the most important journey of your life (you are you know)

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The Bog

A bog is a singular place. While hunting, I have trailed deer into bogs and become thoroughly disoriented. Without the benefit of the sun to guide you, the vistas look the same in all directions. They are unique biospheres, primitive, elemental . . . and deadly. Without a compass, you

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The Calm Before The Storm

During my high school years, my best friend stopped at my Dad’s for a visit. It was a hot, humid, no-wind day. We happened to glance out the picture window toward the lake, and noticed some strange, greenish clouds approaching from the Southwest. They looked like someone was stirring the

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Ghost Stories

It’s a rare day – I’m all caught up with my work load and client files. My next home energy visit isn’t scheduled for another hour, so my mind drifts to stories – ghostly client tales, to be precise. So here goes. Sven lived on his family’s Century Farm. The

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Critters

Lots of things can go wrong with houses . . . and for a myriad of mystifying reasons. With a life-time in the construction business, including six years with Community Action, I’ve run into some doozies . . . and here’s a few of my best. At two a.m. one

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The Game of Life

Many Americans see organized sports as a metaphor for life. This sentiment endures in spite of the risk of injury and the many personal sacrifices required. So what are some of the universal lessons to be gleaned by belonging to a team? First, it takes dedication. Every sport worth doing

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“The Purest Art”

Have you ever wondered why our earliest ancestors painted murals on the walls and ceilings of caves? Who was going to see the images? Why go through all of that work of setting up wooden scaffolding, preparing pigments from scarce raw materials and making torches from the scant resources available?

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What did you say?

On the way into work this morning a police car passed me. I was going the speed limit and it was hilarious to observe as all of the cars and trucks (that flew past me) slammed on their brakes . . . suddenly becoming enlightened. The presence of the patrol

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