Category: Dear Next Generation

Dear Next Generation: A Whole Barnful of Shovels

I really am convinced that a great deal of crime present in today’s world is a direct result of broken families. Children need a village to raise them, but first, a strong family or parent is a must. I am the eldest of seven children who were blessed with good parents. They were strict and…


Dear Next Generation: Thoughts for Life

I wrote this to my son in 2002 upon his high school graduation. I actually gave it to all three of my kids when they graduated. I’m proud to say, all three of them are wonderful people. Jeff Sebek, California To My Son I’ve written this letter to you because I feel that a chapter in my…


Dear Next Generation: Don’t Miss These Opportunities

Throughout my life, I have observed people I thought were often kind, gentle, and willing to smile at life as it speedily passes by, yet never criticize what they observed. I often thought what a wonderful way of living one’s life enjoying the things we see or the people we meet and yet not letting…


Dear Next Generation: ‘Always Do Your Best’

Born in the 1930s, I have lived and learned wisdom over the decades. I pass on these seven sensible suggestions as advice to young people. 1. BEST—Always do your best. When I was a freshman in college, gym (which I disliked) was mandatory. The instructor had us line up and run the length of the…


Dear Next Generation: Life Is Wonderful

I heard one time that life is like a coin. We can spend it any way we want, but we can spend it only once. If life is like a coin, it must, like a coin, have two sides. How could it have two sides? Well, the answer is that life has many sides. It…


Dear Next Generation: The Life-Changing Power of Smiling

My most memorable lessons didn’t come as remarkable revelations, like a thwack upside the head to get my attention. No aha moment. No lightbulb. It was quiet, like a whisper that my spirit was ready to hear. While waiting for a friend to join me in a restaurant, I noticed writing on a sugar packet…


Dear Next Generation: The Problem of Suffering

Several passages in the Bible refer to the suffering that the Hebrews and several prophets had to endure as they attempted to survive in a variety of hostile environments. A number of times, Jesus noted that he must undergo suffering at the hands of men in order to fulfill certain prophecies, and redeem fallen humanity….


Dear Next Generation: ‘Seek to Improve’

Having read Dottie Gomez’s “Mottos to Live by,” I felt the urge to contribute the two mottos that have made my life an adventure worth experiencing. Several years ago I adopted the motto “Seek to Improve.” These three words account for all the successes I have found in my personal relationships, my ability to function…


Dear Next Generation: Mottos to Live by

I’m 81. The two lifetime mottos that I still constantly use are, “Do what you have to do when you have to do it” and “I can do this” (I whisper this to myself). Fortunately, I was raised in the 1940s and 1950s, when laughter, fun, and positive attitudes were plentiful, probably in contrast to…


Dear Next Generation: Strengthen Your Character to Face Challenges Ahead

Dear Next Generation: As we navigate through the first few weeks of 2022, it’s a sound idea to take stock of lessons learned as we chart a course into the future. It isn’t necessary to make new resolutions, because most of us break them anyway. However, it’s wise to assess our character and how we…