Living without friends is lonely as well as unhealthy. It’s scientifically proven that loneliness is frequently at the root of such undesirable conditions as mental depression and a variety of physical illnesses. The age-old wisdom telling us that no man is an island remains as relevant today as it was when the adage was first…
Imagine a group of nine to 11 year-old boys and girls, dressed in jeans and “work” shirts, feet covered in tennis shoes or work boots. Now push your imagination even further and think hard to figure out what you don’t see. Got it? It’s cell phones! No one has one open to instantaneously receiving a…
Remember the days when we avoided using the word “cancer,” especially around people who suffered with the disease? For whatever mythical reasons, we believed throwing those six letters into the universe made the situation even more difficult. We certainly didn’t want to remind people they had the dreaded condition and, more than likely, wouldn’t be…
When You Feed the Least of These… It’s very possible that 99 percent (or more) of the people reading this have no idea of the complexities involved with managing and operating a large, well-provisioned food pantry that dispenses items to assist families in the preparation of nutritious, tasty, well-balanced meals over the span of a…
Unfortunately, most people have only a surface understanding of the Boy Scouts organization. That same lack of understanding leads to an even more devastating lack of appreciation of what these individuals, especially those achieving Eagle Scout status, are capable of contributing to society in the form of much needed leadership. The Boy Scouts of America…
The Trade Days/Farmer’s Market, held Saturdays from April-September in Lake Dallas, is one of the closest and dearest projects in founder Kristy Bleau’s heart. The Market originally started in the parking lot of the Lake Dallas City Hall. Kristy, however, wanted more of a country atmosphere, so she secured a large grass-covered, tree-shaded field behind…
Perhaps it’s the simple scarcity of elegance in our daily lives that generates such excitement and curiosity when it is on display. Conversation between celebrities and reporters is drowned out on Hollywood’s Oscars Night by such questions as “Who are you wearing tonight?” Meaning, of course, “Who designed your gown?” While you won’t be asked…
Julian Herrera Ahuja — a slightly built, 90-pound, polite, nice-looking, 15-year-old Hispanic kid — is the star of this story. But, it’s impossible to relate Julian’s life and his journey to winning a silver medal and a GIANT belt at the USA Boxing Junior Olympics in Wichita, Kansas, in July, without introducing the other members…
Why is it, if Aunt Lucy contracts COVID, we use a normal voice to tell our friends, ‘Oh, dear. Aunt Lucy has COVID and I’m worried’? But, if Aunt Lucy is diagnosed with depression or personality disorder or any other mental health issue, we either say nothing, or we whisper the news to only a…
Kristy Bleau of Lake Dallas lives by a simple philosophy, offering an equally simple answer to people who ask why she crams so much time and effort into Lake Cities Hope, the non-profit she founded to fill the needs of people living in the Lake Cities area. Go ahead. Ask her. Why do you do…