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Named my son, Dallas

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Editor’s Note: The end portion of Mr. Warde’s column was omitted in error in the previous edition, so it is running this week in its entirety.

It was 1984, a decade after graduating from high school in Delray Beach, Florida. My first-born, a son, was the high-point in my life, though his arrival was not my best of days.

What would transpire in that hospital room in Livonia, Michigan on June 2 would prove exactly what toughness means, and who had it. My wife at the time, Debbie, from Wisconsin, knew in advance that he was going to be a big’un. And we were prepared.

A perfect time to begin brand new

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The New Year is here and I’m excited to see what 2022 has for us! My hope is this coming year will be a season of abundance not just with material prosperity and success, but of love, health, and spiritual awareness. As we plant seeds of faith, may we have the patience and expectation to witness the harvest of God’s blessings. One of my personal resolutions is to be more generous and joyful even when things are not going well. I’m reminded of a quote by Mother Teresa who said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.”

Fa la la la La, la, la, la

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Christmas in Ennis never looked so bright, and that has little to with the LED lights that outline the downtown buildings or that form the thirtyfoot, illustrated trees at North Plaza. Instead, it’s the spirit of Christmas seen practically everywhere.

A huge thank you is still due to Klyne McCarty for supplying the trees. The rotation of designs is mesmerizing and a wonderful photo opp. Some things can be helped by an engineer like him.

Women opening gifts

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I’ve met many appreciative men. They open a Christmas gift and exclaim, “Well, that’s so nice,” or “Look at this…I’ve been wanting one of these. Thank you so much.”

Clearly, they were taught well by their mothers to be grateful and thoughtful, too.

But, in contrast, I simply adore watching women open gifts.

“Look at this,” a friend exclaimed, having opened a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift. She immediately threw off the scarf she was wearing, and donned the new one, dramatically tossing it across her shoulders so others could imagine a fashion runway with her.

Losing a war of words

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Dear Editor:

I really enjoy your posts and often do not take the time to respond. This one got me thinking about our education system and how it does not teach kids to reach beyond what they are spoon fed by - you name the agenda. I wrote some time ago about the value of debate in early education. It requires students to research and debate both sides of current issues. It should be a required course for one semester of each high school grade and be as competitive as sports.

Small business owners relying on us

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While the American economy is hopeful of returning to pre-Covid-19 days, it is moving forward. These two years seem as dormant as an estivating animal.

The fears caused by the virus have greatly impacted retail sales around the globe. Restrictions on civic behavior, from 15 days to flatten the curve to business and restaurant occupancy restrictions, and the prohibition of shopping has caused hundreds of thousands of business closures. That is what the Wall Street Journal said happened in the pandemic’s first year.

Losing a war of words

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In recent years our nation has witnessed the crippling of several things that are needed to maintain the common dialogue with others. This killer of communication is lethal to any exchange.

It occurs when either party pulls the trigger by referring to the other with words like bigot or racist, or I knew you’d go there, or any of a litany list character assaults or profane phrases.

Good tidings of great joy

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Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Did you see what I saw in December?

Did you hear what I heard? • I heard young man in the spelling bee who said politely to the student who had just out-spelled him in the run-off, “Good job.” What character and integrity he showed at the age of 10.

Lost class-time not easily replaced

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There once was a day when getting good grades could be assured simply by sitting behind the smartest person in the class.

Now days things are different. Considerably. While the idea of having students learn from their homes, watching lessons online, the temptation, especially when kids had no parents or adults to make certain they actually watched, listened and took notes, was greater to watch television, You Tube, focus on social media, play video games or a combination of them all.

Thwarting voter fraud

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Cheating. It was former pro wrestler Eddie Guerrero who once said, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.” On the other hand, if it weren’t for cheating, there’d be no country music.

When it comes to cheating in elections, while often mentioned, it is rarely proven. Crying foul was screamed by Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000. Though he narrowly won the popular vote, he came up just short in Florida. As a result, their 25 electoral college votes were awarded to Republican candidate George W. Bush, who had just enough to win the race.