Author: Buddy McElhannon

  • Always Keep Dating

    I must be doing something right. My wife complimented me tonight after dinner. Don’t laugh, it happens. This particular evening prompted an unexpected and pleasantly surprising comment. One I thought worth sharing with you romantically challenged guys out there. As I was cleaning up the dishes, Patrice commented that “Dinner with you is always like…

  • The Dignity of Work – Part III                    The Power of Appreciation

    The Dignity of Work – Part III The Power of Appreciation

    “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” Max DePree, American Businessman. “The number one factor in job satisfaction is not the amount of pay but whether or not the individual feels appreciated and valued for the work they…

  • The Dignity of Work – Part II Finding Joy in Work or Why My Wife Wanted to Be a Garbage Man

    Mark Twain is said to have quipped, “Find a job you enjoy doing and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Few would argue with the premise of that statement. Most of us would also agree that finding a job you love to do is not always easy. What about those jobs…

  • The Dignity of Work and the Indignity of Job-Shaming

    The Dignity of Work and the Indignity of Job-Shaming

    Every time I hear any discussion about the dignity of work, I think of the movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance.” Set in Depression-era Georgia, the story is about a Savannah man named Hardy reflecting on his love of golf, as he flashes back to a game of golf played in his youth between Bobby…

  • The 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Most Important Words A Husband Can Say

    The 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Most Important Words A Husband Can Say

    Words are powerful. They have the power to build up or tear down. In marriage, they can encourage or humiliate your spouse…and such words can echo for years to come. Men, it is your choice as a husband whether you want your words and actions to bless your wife or abuse her. Learning to be…

  • The Cha-Ching of Coffee

    The Cha-Ching of Coffee

    Newsflash! There is growing evidence that the way to a woman’s heart is through her coffee cup. Yep, I think I have stumbled across a previously unknown factor in the male-female dynamic. A new axiom that will forever change the way marriage counselors ply their trade. Henceforth, husbands will be told in no uncertain terms……..”There…

  • ​The Dutch Code in Love and War

    ​The Dutch Code in Love and War

    I have no idea what it is like to be separated from your wife during a time of war. My wife Kathryn Patrice and I have never spent more than three days apart. My late wife Mary and I never spent more than two weeks apart. Maybe that’s why I found a 1940’s note by…

  • The Master Woodworker

    The Master Woodworker

    You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but my friend, Dick Willits, is a Master Woodworker. Nor would he be comfortable with such an exalted moniker. Now in his 80’s and long retired, Dick took up woodworking in his later years. Not sure if it was a repressed passion of his or that his…

  • Constantly Improve Your Position

    Constantly Improve Your Position

    Navy Seals have this well-deserved aura about them.  Hearing one speak always makes me glad they are on our side.  I recall watching a video a few years ago featuring Seal Commander Rorke Denver, who shared a fundamental principle by which Seals work, that to “Constantly Improve Your Position.” Rorke reminded listeners that there is…

  • Leadership Lessons:  Jumping Off  the Conclusion Cliff

    Leadership Lessons: Jumping Off the Conclusion Cliff

    Years ago I learned a valuable lesson about jumping to conclusions and the inevitable embarrassment that comes when speculation confidently wears a veneer of certainty. It is like diving off a cliff into a lake only to discover the water is just three feet deep. Oops. The new Millennium had just dawned and with it…