Author Archives: Jim Gleason

Several years ago I told a workmate that you know you are getting old when every time you get up something new hurts. In the past year and a half I have had brain surgery, a hospital stay for a blood clot, sinus surgery that was caused by the brain surgery, ear surgery, and heartContinue reading “Our Feeble Tents”

Today, I drove through at a fast food restaurant and ordered a diet coke. After I drove away, I took a sip and discovered I had been given root beer. I was disappointed as I had my heart set on the diet coke. In the grand scheme of things, this was a minor disappointment andContinue reading “Disappointment”

Have you ever experienced or felt something so intense that you could not adequately tell another person about it? We try though, don’t we? We grab the first person we see and say something like, “I gotta tell you what happened!” The words come out, but even as we are saying them, we realize thatContinue reading “Indescribable”

I lost my wallet today. Therefore I had to contact credit card companies, banks, and government offices to report the lost cards. Some of these contacts went easy and some not quite so smooth. One credit card company had an automated phone response system. So I faced a long series of menu choices that seemedContinue reading “Lost Wallet”

Remember the days of paper maps and the Thompson’s Street Guide. You would pull out the street guide to determine how to get to a house or business you’d never gone to before. You would go to AAA to get state maps whenever you were taking a longer trip. My wife loved those things andContinue reading “Google Maps”

Occassionally we get to see or hear of goodness. A police officer pulled a man to safety after the man had driven into a lake. A child raises money to provide food or school supplies for less fortunate children. A woman visits elderly patients just to give them a friendly smile and a listening ear.Continue reading “Goodness”

Some parts of Louisiana were hit by three hurricanes this year. Just when they had cleaned up after one diaster, another came in. Having participated on several disaster recovery teams one thing is abundantly clear. The survivors are always more concerned about family and friends than they are about the damage to their homes. Sure,Continue reading “Hurricanes”

I used to think that it would be easy to be an official in football. My feeling was that you could make any call and people would not be able to tell if you were correct. After all the action is quick and so many things are happening. Ah but now there is slow motionContinue reading “Football Officials”

My wife and I have started to explore walking trails in our area. We’ve enjoyed the exercise but are even more attracted to the beauty we behold. Some trails go through quiet forests. Others go along streams, rivers or ponds. The quiet beauty of these trails seems to bring peace and restoration to our souls.Continue reading “Walking Trails”

I walked along the beach today. As I walked back toward our chairs I noticed something. There were places where my footprints were deeper than other places. I weighed the same in both sets of prints and I presume that I placed the same pressure on the sand in all my steps. So what wasContinue reading “Footprints”