Author: justathoughtbypat

Why Bother?

Some time ago, I attended the funeral of Verdell Trice. Verdell was nicknamed the “Mayor of the West Side” because for more than 50 years he worked to make this desperately poor community in Chicago a better place to live. During the 1970’s I had the honor of working with Verdell on economic and social development programs aimed at improving the living conditions on the … Continue reading Why Bother? »

A Sober Thought on Power

Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”  ~ George Washington As we near another election and grapple with the very threats to our democracy Washington’s words once again burn my ears with the truth they tell and prompt me to another sober reflection on the subject of power. What is it? How should it … Continue reading A Sober Thought on Power »

What I Found in My Closet

  “There is something about a closet that makes a skeleton terribly restless”~ Wilson Misner Maybe it’s because these restless skeletons of ours really want to dance. For a long time, I believed that skeletons were passed on from one generation to the next as an unwanted family inheritance.  The less one spoke of a skeleton the better, and if one did, one only did so … Continue reading What I Found in My Closet »