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Part of a heart-shaped pendant, the little watch ran scarcely an hour at a time. But I recall the day the mystery of its lethargy was solved. Though my wife enjoyed wearing the pendant watch, its marked tendency to sporadically stall diminished any real usefulness. In that pre-digital era, watches required regular winding, but hourly winding [...] Despite last week's boost of crisp October air, my first hike since a knee injury almost four years ago challenged me more than expected. Bowing to my wife's cautions, I had chosen a rather public place to hike–just in case. Nevertheless, intricate spider webs completely spanned the trail sporadically, proving that no hikers had recently traversed [...] "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success." Surprisingly, this terse advertisement drew several thousand applicants for British explorer Ernest Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica in December 1914. He handpicked 27, and they would involuntarily suffer far more than [...] George Frederick Handel's career was afflicted with setbacks. Twice bankrupt, he had fallen out of favor with audiences, and financial woes mounted. With such strains upon him, he plunged into the task of writing Messiah. Servants reported that for the 24-day duration of the project, his food was often untouched, and his manuscript was frequently [...] After being stricken with a devastating illness before she was two, Helen Keller (1880–1968) spent the rest of her life both blind and deaf. Scaling these two great obstacles, however, she rose to international fame and offered solace and comfort to many in similar straits. In "Three Days to See," an article she wrote for the [...] Sunday, December 31, 1995. The big backpacking trip is over. It was exhausting, and I am still weary and sore. We rose at 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning and got an early start. Unanticipated logistics in shuttling cars, however, made us almost two hours late in getting on the trail. This put us way behind on time [...] George Frederick Handel's career was afflicted with setbacks. Twice bankrupt, he had fallen out of favor with audiences, and financial woes mounted. With such strains upon him, he plunged into the task of writing "Messiah". Servants reported that for the 24-day duration of the project, his food was often untouched, and his manuscript was frequently [...] The age in which we live is probably more intrusive into family life than any other time. Distractions abound, and the call of worldly success is hard to ignore. But there’s always a cost. Time invested in the pursuit of worldly fame and fortune must be withdrawn from the account of home and family. We [...] For 20 years now, occasions such as holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays have motivated me make small investments in future generations. I use such times–not faithfully enough, I admit–to write down thoughts that might encourage those who would read them later. My wife and I just celebrated our 34th anniversary, and I've plucked this note to her [...] When recently asked for some advice for a new graduate, my thoughts flashed back almost 200 years. In his diary, William Clark described many of the intense struggles that confronted the famous Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific Ocean. But hidden within his matter-of-fact notation for June 15, 1805, nuggets of timeless insight for any [...] |
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Copyright 2012 James McAlister - All Rights Reserved |
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