... the desire to help others who are poor and homeless is not just a Christian thing, but a human thing.
A Thanksgiving Invitation
Prose.
Prose. I have always wondered at this word. It is endlessly intellectual. Eloquent. A word that seems to exist in a higher heaven than I. An assignment at university demands: “use your best prose.” What prose? I was not issued prose like socks from a military supply room. I do not slip my feet into…
To “Said”, or not to “Said”
I use "said" when something MUST be said and nothing else CAN be said. Otherwise, I avoid it.
FBI FOIA Response
It seems the records I requested were either destroyed or transferred elsewhere.
Freedom of Information, FOIA-veryone!
The basic function of the Freedom of Information Act is to ensure informed citizens, vital to the functioning of a democratic society.
Three months at a book store
A little over three months ago, I took a part time position in a book store. This is a reflection on that time... Most of the employees who hold my same position are either in high school, or about to graduate. There are one or two in their early twenties who are also plodding through…
What would I tell myself?
Earlier today, I was surfing Twitter, as I usually do when I'm smoking or trying to avoid doing something. (I'm @written_lit. Check me out!) Anyway, one of the Twits I follow in the #WritingCommunity posted a question: If you could give your 21-year-old self advice, what would it be? Normally, I would tweet something pithy…
Pen names, per chance?
Spring break is upon us in northern Virginia, and I am at home this week with all six of the kids. I've often envied my wife that she is permitted to leave the house each day for work, unfettered by children. Though they can be tiresome and emotionally taxing, I enjoy the moments I have…
Finding Passion
It is my desire to review the results of my search for employment following my retirement from the army in 2014, and the subsequent completion of my bachelor’s degree in June 2018. Upon retirement from the army, I faced the question many soldiers face when leaving the service: Now what? I joined the Army at…
Rarity
Today, I had an appointment at the VA hospital in Washington, D.C.. I travel up there every few months for one appointment or another. It's a busy place this hospital. From the moment I enter the doors and show my ID to security, it is a flurry of war stories, wheelchairs and an echo reminiscent…
