Seeds of Impact Patrick Wood Dear Reader, Recently my three daughters held a birthday celebration for me. Prior to the event, they asked all invited to send in a message regarding their insights, …

A Simple Feeding Dear Reader, I’m no expert on taking care of babies… not by a long shot. Upon hearing that I had recently changed a diaper, my son-in-law comically responded, “3 kids, 7 …

Beyond the Picnics of Memorial Day Dear Reader, The majority of Americans have the day off on Memorial Day. Most spend the time with their families and many traditionally go on a picnic in the …

A Painting is worth a thousand … Dear Reader, During his 93 years on earth, Picasso completed about 13,000 paintings. Picasso used many media types in his art, including sculpture, drawing, …

Watching Familiar Memory Ghosts Dear Reader, Recently I found myself in a rocking chair looking out over a merrily blazing fire pit. In the distance, a river flowed languidly toward its far-off …

Everything Dear Reader, We live in a world that seems to have everything. And yet, we don’t always feel that way. So here’s a question to ask those you love: “What is the one thing that I can …

On One or Multiple ‘Happily Ever Afters’ Patrick Wood Dear Reader, When we marry we take a snapshot in time. Yes, this is the girl or boy of our dreams based on the perception of who and what …

A View to Love Dear Reader, Spending a few days with my newest granddaughter Madelyn, who was born just three weeks ago, has opened my mind to how we should engage with the world around us. Her tiny …

The Transient Nature of Life Patrick Wood Dear Reader, Time ravages the body. No matter how much we fight its assault on bones and sinews, eventually the battle is lost and we succumb to the …

God: A Cautionary Tale Dear Reader, Patrick Wood Pretend for a moment that you are God. You just created the universe. You finished the job by creating planet earth. You have a vision of how the …

A Call To Help Afghan Women Patrick Wood Dear Reader, Recently I watched a heart-wrenching report on 60 Minutes regarding SOLA (School Of Leadership Afghanistan), a girls’ school in that country. …

The Cycle of Life Dear Reader, Shannon Grace After five grandsons, our family recently welcomed our first granddaughter into the fold. This happy occasion was a reminder of the tremendous …

The Vaulted Chamber Patrick Wood Dear Reader, Did you ever pick out all of the good parts of a movie? Similarly, have you ever looked at the good parts of your life, the parts you would relive if you …

Be the Joy Dear Reader, Today I want to share just one thought: Be the Joy. It can make the difference in almost everything. You can spread joy around. You can receive joy. To me, that means putting …

Meaning to Our Lives Dear Reader, Patrick Wood At times, we may think about what gives meaning to our lives. Part of what we come up with are true friendships and religious beliefs. Both of these …

Resolutions for a Better World Patrick Wood Dear Reader, With the advent of a new year, we might want to make a few resolutions if they apply to us (and those in our lives) given all the infirmities …

On the Advent of Joy Patrick Wood Dear Reader, In life, there are people and events that bring us joy. We feel joy when we see an old friend after a long hiatus; attend a concert or musical which is …

Age Eclipse Patrick Wood Dear Reader, Like many of you, I am married and have had children. Now that they have grown up and moved out, I have noticed a pattern in our family dynamics as one …

Dream-Triggers Patrick Wood Dear Reader, A photograph, a letter, a lock of hair when held at night can become a dream trigger of sorts. You picked up a photo of yesteryear, or reread an old letter …

Billions and Trillions of Stars Patrick Wood Dear Reader, Scientists estimate that in the observable universe, there are about 1 billion trillion stars. The entire universe holds between 30 and 70 …