Ray Harryhausen. To movie buffs, his name alone conjures images of massive, undulating tentacles, eerie flying saucers, gigantic crawling bugs, and a smorgasbord of Greek mythological characters, including a fearless army of clattering skeletons. All of which were created by…

When I was a child, if I refused to eat what was on my plate, one of my parents would say, “If you get hungry enough, you’ll eat.” Most of the time, I gave in and ate, even though I…

Ever heard of the Polish artist, Ludwik Stasiak? Neither had I until one of his paintings came up for auction on a European auction site I follow. The painting was a simple landscape that only sold for a few thousand…

Answering machines! Are you old enough to remember the thrill of rushing home from work, hopping to see the machine’s blinking red light indicating that you had messages? Then, replaying the day’s messages, recorded on a cassette, listening with awe…

     My dear mother was an excellent cook. She could make something special out of almost nothing. But let me be clear—the rich aroma of Boeuf Bourguignon, the spices in German bratwurst, or the sweetness of Viennese pastries never filled…

How honest are you about being dishonest? Have you ever looked back on your life and seen where dishonesty worked against you, causing you great mental anguish and others to distrust you? The Good Book reminds us that honesty is…

It was a lovely spring afternoon when a dear friend called, telling me to check a post on a popular media site. I did and was shocked. An individual, whom I knew only through other friends, had attacked my reputation,…

     The magnificent ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo in the early fifteenth century, is regarded as one of the most famous works of art in the world. Michelangelo was considered the greatest living artist in his lifetime,…

At 2:18 on the morning of April 15, 1912, the lights on board RMS Titanic flickered and went out forever, plunging her luxurious interiors into darkness, along with over 1500 passengers, all clamoring for a spot on her rising stern.…

In the last dark days of World War II, as the Third Reich imploded, there were still touching stories of empathy shown to those whose lives had been uprooted by Nazi racial hatred. One such story was that of Wilhelm…

In today’s world, trouble wraps itself around us with vicious tentacles. Earthquakes. Horrific tornadoes. Wars. Fatal illnesses. Personal trials and tribulations. The senseless murder of children and adults. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were hounded by trouble as well.…

In the last years of my dear mother’s life, her mind slipped away day by day. I could hear it in what she said, see it in what she did, and recognized it in what she no longer remembered. Oft…