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Opinions

Ask about nursing homes

Recent revelations indicate the City of Ennis has been involved in a government program associated with the Nursing Home QIPP, or Quality Incentive Payment Program. While it appears to be above board and legal, the subject has led to a number of questions.

Wearing a scarf

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I’ve been waiting a long time for my book, “Loon Point,” to sell.

When hurrying hurts

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Do you ever feel like we are just too busy? That there is too much going on? That we just need to slow down a little bit? While it seems like our lives have been sped up because of technology and other advances, the issue of being in too big of a hurry has been around for a while. In fact, over fifty years ago there was an interesting study done by a group of sociologists about busyness. That study, back in 1973, was called “From Jerusalem to Jericho: A Study of Situational and Dispositional Variables in Helping Behavior.”

Joe’s jamokes

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There is more than enough humor in politics to fuel the late night comics, though they roast only one side. They have worked overtime in support of the liberal elites since the forced exile of presumptive presidential candidate, Joe Biden. When Karine Jean-Pierre had her 50th birthday on August 13, her pants caught fire. Her blatant lies saying Biden was sharp, in great shape, and does more in three hours than most Americans do all day was a cover.

24-hour Thomas

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His name was Thomas. He wasn’t a Philadelphia lawyer, but I wouldn’t have loved or admired him more in a threepiece suit. His fluorescent vest with silver stripes was charming enough.

Blessed with cousins

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I have been blessed with many cousins. My two cousins closest in age were both boys, Brian and Dane. We went camping and hiking together and stayed in the cabin up north. We all remember the day we made tea from red sumac berries, and -- after we’d drunk about a gallon each -- my Uncle Mike told us, “You know that stuff is a laxative, don’t you?” (For the record, it is not.)

You are the caretaker of your mind

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I read a book years ago by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale called, “The amazing results of positive thinking” and I recommend it as an inspiration and encouragement to your spiritual life. He explains that our mind is constantly bombarded with all types of persuasions and each of us are held accountable to manage them. We have the ability to resist and ignore the negative influences that distracts us or we can pray and seek the Lord for a stronger discernment and sensitivity to deception. It was during this time of studying how the mind is considered the battlefield of spiritual warfare, that I had a powerful dream. I do not always place a lot of credibility in dreams, but on the other hand, the Bible reveals that some dreams are used by God as a way of communication. Anyway, here was my dream.

Tiny tent

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I haven’t gone camping in a tent in a long time. I grew up camping and, for much of that time, it was in a tent. My parents would take my sister and me to the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada for about a week. We’d paddle our canoes from one lake to the next. We’d listen to the loons at night. We’d build a fire. We’d eat dried food -- which miraculously tasted better the farther we paddled from civilization. We’d drink water right out of the lake, before we needed expensive filters. We’d use the latrine deep in the woods. I still vividly remember the time I felt flies landing on my behind -- only to look down into the latrine and see a whiskered woodchuck looking up at me!

Dragging my heart through Perry Primary

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On the eve of sending my second child--yes, my baby--off to school for the first time in his life, I realized there were many subjects in my All You Need To Know About Life course that I had not covered adequatelt. His fifth birthday was only weeks away. Please tell me: how did this happen so fast?

Focus on the invisible, not the impossible

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Stop for a moment and closely observe this trial you’ve been going through. When you are wounded and perplexed, it seems all you can think about is the pain, but within this raging battle ask yourself (and be honest) if you’re focusing more on the circumstance than on God who has all the answers. Ask and allow Him to heal your heart. This situation will not last forever and after a period of suffering the time will come to crawl back to your knees, stand up, dust yourself off, and try to glean wisdom from what has happened so that you will be stronger and wiser next time. Yes, there will be a next time because life is a constant classroom filled with learning opportunities. This is how God develops us to help others in their times of disappointment, and frustration.