Category: Americana

  • If Jesus Were a Bartender

    If Jesus Were a Bartender

    Author’s Note:  I wrote this Reflection in early 2017 and shared it with a small group of friends.  This updated version is posted for the first time on TheBuddyBlog.com If you do a web search for the phrase “A guy walked into a bar….” you will discover that bars and bartenders are one of the…

  • Is Sitting with a Conservative Now Criminal Behavior?

    The Twitter world had a hissy fit earlier this week.  A photo showing liberal comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres sitting next to President George W. Bush in the owner’s suite at a recent Dallas Cowboys football game generated a caustic response from the political Left.  Apparently, it’s now a crime to sit next…

  • Problem Solving Skills I Learned from Jigsaw Puzzles

    Problem Solving Skills I Learned from Jigsaw Puzzles

    I have never been a fan of jigsaw puzzles…until recently. Jigsaw puzzles always seemed like a waste of time.  You spend hours putting together an insanely complicated piece of artwork, some with mind-numbing solid coloring, repetitive imagery, and similarly shaped pieces, only to break up the finished work and put it back in a box. …

  • By Whatever Name – Bullying is Wrong

    By Whatever Name – Bullying is Wrong

    There are days I wake up and wonder how did we (as a nation and a culture) end up where we are?  We seem to have lost any respect or tolerance for those who do not share our beliefs.  Worse, we have developed a hypersensitivity to viewpoints we find politically incorrect. It seems this Land…

  • How A Miracle Saved the American Revolution…and My​ Family Name

    How A Miracle Saved the American Revolution…and My​ Family Name

    This last week of August 2019, is the two hundred and forty-third anniversary of one of the most pivotal moments in American history.  At the time, soldiers on both sides of the conflict called the events of the week a miracle.  Historians ever since have also considered its outcome providential, or at the very least,…

  • Life Lessons I Have Learned from My Children – Part 2 How to Treat a Restaurant Server.

    Being a parent, I have always tried to be mindful about how my behavior influences my children.  Ironically, there are some life lessons they have taught me.  Case in point — how to treat a server at a restaurant. Two of my daughters served as waitresses at various times during their high school and college…

  • The Memory Blogger

    The Memory Blogger

    Another milestone passed!  This post represents my 100th blog post on TheBuddyBlog.com website. No one is more surprised than I am.  To celebrate this you-gotta-be-kidding-me event, I thought I’d share my thoughts and reflections on how I came to be a blogger. It might surprise you. After all, I never thought I’d spend any time…

  • A Time to Stand

    A Time to Stand

    The simple act of standing can be a sign of respect.        When a judge enters a courtroom, those present stand.        When we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, we stand.        When the bride walks down the aisle, guests stand.        When a guest walks up…

  • They Are Always Watching

    They Are Always Watching

    The title of the opinion piece caught my eye. “Dear militant feminists, stop messing it up for the rest of us.” The author, Carol Roth, is a “recovering” investment banker, bestselling author of “The Entrepreneur Equation,” and television news contributor.  The article (1) expresses her fears that good manners are being killed because some women…

  • Real Comfort Food

    Real Comfort Food

    While running several errands one day, my wife suggested we grab lunch at her favorite Thai Restaurant.  I like Thai food — sort of.  My favorite cuisines are Mexican, Mexican, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Georgian (as in Republic of), and French.  Thai is on the list, I just don’t know where. Ordering a Southern Thai…