Many of you are familiar with the cartoon strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is a little boy with an overactive imagination and a stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who comes to life as his imaginary friend. In one cartoon strip, Calvin turns to his friend Hobbes and says, “I feel bad I …
The airline pilot announced over the intercom, “Folks, I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The bad news is…we’re lost. The good news is…we’re making great time!” It’s too easy to live our lives like that, isn’t it? Making great time, but not sure if we’re heading in …
Leith Anderson, a minister, shared this experience: As a boy, he grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. He was so excited, and …
All in the Family was a comedy that aired on American television from 1971-1979. There was much not to like about the show, but there were also moments of tremendous insight into human behavior. In one of the episodes, Edith and Archie were attending Edith’s high school class reunion. Edith …
Some years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Dr. Paul Ruskin on the “Stages of Aging.” In the article, Dr. Ruskin described a case study he had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient …
I heard recently about a “big city” boy who was preaching in a small country town. He wanted to learn everything “country” so that I could fit in. As he was searching for Widow Jones’ farm, he got lost on the back roads. He saw a farmer walking into his …
We are changed, sometimes in unexpected ways, by the problems of life. One of Canada’s most famous physicians was Dr. William Osler. Many stories are told of this beloved doctor, but one of the most revealing comes from World War I. Friends recalled the day when Osler was working in …
The story is told of a man who tried to steal gasoline from a motor home. Attaching a siphoning hose to the vehicle, he started to work; but police found him shortly afterward writhing in agony in the street. It seems he had attached the hose, not to the gasoline …
A funny story tells about a rabbi and a priest that met at the town picnic and began their usual “kibitzing.” “This baked ham is just delicious,” the priest teased the rabbi. “You really should try some. I know it’s against your religion, but I can’t understand why such a …
The following is a true story (though there are some questions about a few of the details). Back in 1893, there was a group of four sisters in Iowa. They called themselves the Cherry Sisters and made their stage debut in Cedar Rapids in a skit they wrote themselves. It …
