A few years ago, Carrie bought me a rain barrel. She figured, “We water plants in the back yard all summer, so why not collect some of the rainfall and save a little on the water bill?” We’ve enjoyed many free gallons of water from that rain barrel. But in our semi-arid climate, it doesn’t …
When I was fifteen years old, I did a science fair project called The Third Line of Defense, referring to the invader-specific antibodies of the immune system. I found immunology fascinating, and reading medical textbooks as a teenager, thought I would later become a doctor like my oldest sister. She had dedicated herself to the …
A few months ago our brother-in-law (married to one of JB’s sisters) stopped in for a few days during a cross-country trek. A retired Navy helicopter pilot and former aircraft carrier commanding officer, he now volunteers many hours building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Looking around our place he asked if we needed help with …
Years ago, our oldest son’s teacher asked students to answer the question, “What makes you unique?” Staring at that blank sheet of paper I would have felt compelled to write a lengthy paragraph listing numerous distinctives, hoping to impress the teacher with my thoughts. In contrast, and despite turning in a nearly blank page, Jeremy …
