It is often said that attitude is gratitude. From my own personal experience, I know this is true. I have never known anyone who had a great attitude who was not also grateful for what they had. Have you? I am an early riser, and the other morning about 5 a.m. I was thinking about this column. The thought came to me that we will be happier if we can be grateful for the small things in life. The reason is because there are so many more of them. To…

If inflation and the high cost of gasoline is causing you to change your habits, the way you do things and the places you go, I have a good suggestion that may be of interest. At our home, Janis and I have a new pastime that is very enjoyable. We now watch the Arkansas Razorbacks sports teams on television. Most recently we watched the Razorback baseball team as they were involved in post-season play. In the beginning, one of the things that really attracted us to the games is one…

Problems, Problems, Problems. Life is filled with problems. Fortunately, there are bad problems and there are also good problems. When Janis and I married back in 2015, we inherited one of the good ones. The good problem was that we both owned a home: hers was on Beaverfork Lake, mine was south of town near Round Mountain. The problem for us came when making the decision as to where we would live. I wanted to live here in my home, where I had been for 20 years and had my…

If I may, today I would like to begin by asking you a couple of questions. Please take a moment to ponder them. First, how much do you know about your state? And next, how much do you know about the other 49? And then, a follow-up question: Would you like to know more? In addition to today’s column about my own state, I am considering featuring a different state, once each month, and taking them in alphabetical order. The information in this column will give you an idea of…

You may have heard the old saying, “We may lose a few battles, but we are going to win the war.” I believe this accurately describes where our country is just now. Like millions and millions of Americans, I am terribly saddened when I learn about another tragic school shooting, like the one we just had down in Uvalde, Texas. Soon after each shooting the gun debate begins, but this time we may actually do something about the massive number of guns in our society. It looks like we may…

No doubt you have heard the old saying “He is as happy as a fat pig in the sunshine.” The reason a pig can be happy, with his belly full and the sun shining, is that in all likelihood he does not know that he is going to wind up on some one’s dinner table in a few short months. As a human being, aren’t we glad that God has given us a mind that we can use to think, reason, and make choices? I know I am. Now, for…

We have a member of our family who is 104 years of age. Her name is Hattie Hankins. Really, she is Janis’s cousin, but since I am a member of the family, she is my cousin, too. We have attended her last seven birthday celebrations and have marveled at the sharpness of her mind. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing her for this column, and what a story she has to tell. After doing a little research, I discovered that she has lived during the terms…

There is one thing for sure: some people will disagree with what I am going to say in this column. In view of the violence and bloodshed in our country, and especially the tragedy of school shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas, many Americans would like to confiscate all guns and take them off the streets. I do not agree with that and think that guns are getting a bad rap. But please hear me out. First, there are more than 400 million guns in our nation, with more…

Former president Woodrow Wilson once said, “Witness the Lord’s Prayer. The first petition is for daily bread. No man can love God and serve others on an empty stomach.” This may be the reason people who live in the South are known for their wonderful Southern Hospitality. We both know that good hospitality involves having food. In this regard, we have a terrific couple in our church who got the message. Ricky and Hettie Ingram drive about 45 minutes each Sunday to attend our church. They live about 10 miles…

After working with our schools as a businessman consultant in the decade of the 1970s, I made the decision in 1980 to begin my own daily radio program. I was inspired by the late Earl Nightingale’s program titled “Our Changing World” that ran on 1,000 stations across the nation. Well, I got my five-day-a-week program titled, “How to Plan Your Life,” up and going, and my first commercially sponsored station was KARN in Little Rock. At this time there was a young DJ on this station who was making waves…