We are at the early days of the 8 days of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. I enjoy Hanukkah because it is a holiday celebrating the power of faith. Unfortunately, Hanukkah got off to a bad start this year with an apparently antisemetic mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach in Australia. … More Motivational Music Monday: Hanukkah Edition
About 2 weeks ago, my son and I went to early voting to cast our votes for the only race for which we are eligible to vote–the Cary Town Council At-Large open position. It took me about one and a half hours to cast my vote in Early Voting. But in my opinion, it was … More Why Vote in This Election? Here’s Why I Spent One and a Half Hours to Vote for a Single Candidate (and Why You Should Go Vote Today, i.e., Election Day)
Yet another political holiday this week! Today we celebrate Constitution Day, because it is the 238th anniversary of the day (September 17, 1787) the delegates of the US Constitution Convention signed the document. This made it the legal bedrock of our nation. The Declaration of Independence set forth our national ideals and values, but it … More Today is Constitution Day. Let’s Take it Seriously This Year
Labor Days is one of those holidays that I believe has mostly lost its roots. It may be the worst of the holidays in terms of being disconnected to its roots. I say that because, although I celebrate every holiday I can, I try to connect that celebration to its origin. For things like Easter … More A Labor Day Reflection
When I went to the website of The Washington Post yesterday morning, this was the photo dominating the top of the screen. My reaction was to literally laugh out loud. In this handshake, President Trump is clearly trying to “look tough.” His brows are furrowed and he is looking down at the shorter President Putin. … More I Don’t Hate President Trump. When I’m Not Angry or Outraged by Trump, I Pity Him.
I’m sorry this post is so late, but I’ve spent most of my day working on two different service projects. Because my vision of America is a land where we help each other out. But I want to end the day acknowledging the service of one of my elected officials here in North Carolina: Senator … More Thank You, Senator Thom Tillis
Reading the news these days can be enough to bum me out. Last week it was National Guards and Marines arresting people in LA exercising their rights to free speech and (generally) peaceful protests. This weekend it was two politicians, their spouses, and one golden retriever shot for the “crime” of being a Democratic politician … More The Books of Summer
We have two holidays coming up this week: May Day and Cinco de Mayo. Now, ironically, Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in much of Mexico. Like St. Patrick’s Day, which is a religious day in Ireland, not a party day, or at least it was… Most of Mexico doesn’t really celebrate Cinco … More Motivational Music Monday: May Day/Cinco de Mayo Edition
I got a question from a friend about my blog post yesterday on the Griffin List. So I’m adding this post to make things clearer, because this is a very important issue. In my first post (click here to see that), I was focused on the photo ID issue. That’s because it could be especially … More The Griffin List: An Addendum
Last night I had a very special opportunity to celebrate the Islamic spiritual practice of Ramadan, even though I am not Muslim. Ramadan is one of the most sacred traditions in Islam. It commemorates the revelation of the Qur’an through a month in which Muslims shift their focus from their material world to their spiritual … More Celebrating Ramadan with Feasting and Philoxenia at the Divan Center
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