Author: Buddy McElhannon
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Reasons I Like February
Friends, Last month, I celebrated my 75th birthday. Between the emails, phone calls, and Facebook posts, I was overwhelmed with all the birthday wishes. Thank you for your thoughtful and kind comments. It made turning 75 so much easier. Well, sort of. This milestone birthday sparked an idea in the literary part of my brain,…
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What Real Men Do!
I saw a t-shirt recently that read, “Real Men Pray.” I chuckled at the irony. It wasn’t long ago when a “real man” was defined by his strength, attractiveness to women, and financial success. Masculinity was viewed through the lens of abs, muscles, and dollar bills. Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, media and…
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The Big Brownie Debate
You would think that, with all the chaos in the world, family debates would have an international flavor. Ukraine, Iran, Venezuela, Minnesota? (Yes, these days even Minnesota sounds like a foreign country.) Not in this household. The current squabble is a culinary conflict. This age-old question, with no definitive answer, may just be a distraction…
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If I Were the Devil
For those of you yet to approach your senior years, you may not be familiar with the radio broadcaster, Paul Harvey. In the second half of the 20th century, Harvey had a daily news program and was famous for his “The Rest of the Story” Saturday broadcasts. I thought of Harvey recently while reading a…
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The Color of My Car…and What I Hope It Says About Me
It is a universally acknowledged truth among car companies that a car sells better when its color has a sexy, glamorous name. Or so it seems. I believe the evidence is overwhelming. Car companies have long understood the appeal of colors and have moved away from basic primary tones and simple labels like red, white,…
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Where Were the Angels on Christmas Day?
Were the angels standing in awe or Lying prostrate before the throne? Were they singing Hallelujahs or Kneeling in silent wonder? Where were the angels on Christmas Day? The Nativity foretold, Signaled by the stars. Seeking to worship the newborn King, Wise men traveled from afar. But where were the angels on Christmas Day? Shepherds…
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Word of the Year?
Oxford University Press just announced its 2025 Word of the Year. Rage bait. I know it is two words, but it has only one meaning. Rage bait is defined as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive.” One only has to scroll through social media before one…
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God’s Calling Card: Beauty
There are times when the world around us can feel overwhelming…and ugly. Evil distracts us with temptations. Politics has become divisive, social media addictive, and culture wars beget hate and prejudice. It’s easy to grow indifferent, even callous, to the marvel of the world around us. And as often happens, when beauty becomes distorted in…
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I Have Reached the Age When…
I am having a senior moment. Oh, not an episode of forgetfulness. On the contrary, this senior moment is one of reflection — pondering observations on life and living that have allowed me to embrace such descriptions as over-the-hill, long in the tooth, and my personal favorite — retired. So, here are some random thoughts…
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Reunion Takeaways
This past weekend, I attended my 56th high school reunion. That’s right, #56. We sort of forgot about #55, so a group of alumni answered the philosophical question of the day — why wait? — with a resounding “What’s wrong with celebrating #56?” This explains why we gathered on a fellow grad’s farm in Locust…
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