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Hearing the words Fourth of July conjures images in my mind of glimmering fireworks, backyard barbeques, and family time. I am grateful to live in the United States of America, and despite all that we have seen happening in our country lately, I think that most Americans are still proud of the reasons we celebrate Independence Day. Independence for the United States in 1776, of course, is the origin of our celebration, but I think the idea of independence is not fully understood and appreciated by the public today. America is associated with many important words – freedom, justice, and strength, to name a few, but could it be that the most American word is actually independence?

I’ve been working on a script with a producer named Eli. I’m going to perform a show made from pieces of columns I’ve written over the years. I’ve been looking for themes and ideas and stringing them together, and I thought I’d done a pretty good job, so I sent off a draft to Eli. “This is not what we talked about!” Eli told me.

About twenty years ago, I had the privilege to take in a live performance of the Flying Karamazov Brothers from the front row of the Power Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The cast of men, who are not actual brothers, are a juggling and comedy troupe who have traveled and presented shows, including appearances in movies as well as Broadway stages.

I know it wasn’t my first glass of lemonade, but it was the first one I remember.

May God bless each and every father as we wish you a Happy Father’s Day. Fatherhood is a theme within scripture, and we know that God is the best Father who loves His Son Jesus Christ, and all of His children so much that He provided a way for them to spend an eternity with Him. My dad passed away in 2016. I miss my father, I admired him and always will.

“Do you have a minute?” the caller asked.

Krispy Kreme has introduced another tasty morsel to drive tastebuds beyond resistance with their new Donut Dots. They are ballshaped donuts that we are supposed to assume were cut from the center of a glazed doughnut, which apparently left the hole in the middle.

I’m about the only person I know without a tattoo. Well, this is not true. My parents don’t have tattoos, and I don’t think most of their friends do -- although I’ve not done a close inspection. That would be hard to do, and probably not very polite. But among people my age and younger, I’ve become something of an oddity, yet I can honestly say I’ve never considered getting one. This isn’t because I have anything against tattoos. I’ve seen some that were beautiful. But I’ve also seen some that read “Forever Young” or “No Regrets,” and I wonder if this will always be the case.

I said to myself: “What happened last, means nothing. What you do next, means everything.” I nodded in agreement. Then I reminded myself: “Think of nothing else at this moment. Clear your head. Be in this space with no outside interference.”