Category: Dear Next Generation

Dear Next Generation: Study History and Seek Excellence

Some advice in quick-time. I refer to an old military abbreviation for moving quickly and efficiently. Not an Apple app. My advice is mostly about YOU, the next generation. You will lead us into the future … and you hold the key to how the future may look. Your character, your education, your value systems,…


Dear Next Generation: Tips From an 87-Year-Young Patriot on How to Make Life Better

On Aug. 15, I turned 87 years young. Yes, I have been incredibly blessed with good health, a wonderful wife of 50 years, four terrific and successful children, and four outstanding grandchildren—also all successful. I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, spending summers with my maternal grandparents on a lake in Maine. I learned a primitive…


Dear Next Generation: How It Was in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s

I was born in the middle of the Depression. Two brothers preceded me, and I was followed by a sister. My two brothers were both born in hospitals, but my sister and I were born at home. I guess my folks couldn’t afford any more hospital bills. We lived on Whidbey Island, located in Puget…


Dear Next Generation: Advice From a 100-Year-Old

You asked what advice would I give the younger generation? I am Alice Fetty, 100 years old, firstborn of seven children to John and Norah Findley. At age 20, I married Raymond Fetty, a steel mill worker. God blessed us with a daughter, Norah, and two sons, Charles and Carl. Our family grew. All three…


Dear Next Generation: Live Your Own Life!

If you really want something, you’re the only one who can make that happen. Think: What do I need to do to get this done? I’ve enjoyed a life that has been enhanced by animals. My early passion was for horses. I started riding horses at age 9. My parents were supportive, driving me to…


Dear Next Generation: ‘Set an Example’

My name is Joyce Lipham-Taylor, age 88, the mother of seven successful adult children. I live in Texas and came from a family of seven brothers and sisters. I would like to give my advice to young parents that worked for my husband and me. First, set an example by working hard yourselves. I rose…


Dear Next Generation: Words of Grandpa

Dear Next Generation, On my 70th birthday, Dec. 12, 2020, I wanted to bless my seven grandchildren (now 8 to 20 years old) by sharing with them my “Words of Grandpa,” which I wrote for the occasion. Leading up to this important birthday, I had been reflecting upon my life and realized that a lot…


Dear Next Generation: The Preciousness of Old Letters

Your recent article “Missed Opportunities” caused me to think of something I’ve always wanted to share with my children, grandchildren, and friends for some time now. And that is the lost art of letter writing. When I was growing up in the ’40s and ’50s, I received and wrote to my dad (in the service),…


Dear Next Generation: A List for Every Day

I came across it when my mother died. Going through the obligatory paperwork, letters, and odds and ends, I found a list scrawled on a creased envelope among old bills and receipts. I held it in my hand, transported back to the day, many years ago, when I was young. I had given my mom…


Dear Next Generation: ‘Believe in God, America, and Family’

I’ve been blessed to be the father of three sons who have all grown up to be good men. Based on my childhood alone, this shouldn’t have been possible and, to be completely honest, I shouldn’t be here today. That being said, the challenges I faced as a child are minor compared to those that…