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My boys know that whenever I begin a sentence with “Back in ‘my day…’” they are about to be launched into a memory from mom’s Big Book of Remembrance where there is no yawning allowed. However, this memory from my past is both true and important (aren’t they all?) for keeping them safe. You see, when I was a child, my parents thought nothing of letting me and my six siblings disappear deep into the neighborhood for hours on end, returning only when absolutely starving or bleeding severely. We played in other people’s houses, we walked many blocks to and from school, rode our bikes clear across town to swim with friends at the river, all this and more with

There are oh so many treasures of nature right in our back yard and I experienced one of those very special places with my two young boys just the other day. A warm invitation from a good friend initiated the adventure on this crisp fall morning to the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, located just a mile north of Puxico, Missouri. With picnic packed and four very excited boys, we arrived at the Visitor Center and checked out wonderful exhibits the educational center had on display. Our favorite was a “preserved” (or less elegantly described by a seven year old as “stuffed”) pair of 10 and 12-point White-tailed deer, their horns locked in a deadly tangle seconds before they both fell

One great idea can take on a life of its own, which is exactly what has happened to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s idea of bringing ordinary citizens from all over the globe together to communicate face to face, in an effort to solve differences and discover ways to live peacefully together on the planet. The People to People Ambassador Program was launched in 1956, setting in motion a vehicle wherein his mission of global citizenship did flourish.

We can talk about what the big four are wearing today or about Joe the plumber, but how does that help anyone make an intelligent choice for President of the United States on November 4th? At some point what needs to be understood is how the Democrat and Republican candidates see the country heading into the future, so an educated choice can be made. Voting for John McCain simply because he was a prisoner of war is as shallow as someone voting for Barack Obama simply because he’s black. It can’t be completely about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It can’t be completely about the mess our economy is in. We need to think deeper than that on election

Once in a while, amidst the hustle and bustle of day to day social networking, someone rises out of the fray who is decidedly special and worthy of deeper scrutiny. You know, when someone you’ve only recently met shoots straight to the top of your this-person’s-really-going-to-go-places list. The person who recently topped my whole family’s list is a young, Poplar Bluff native named Donnie Magruder.