Two things happened to me this week that have had a gnawing impact on my life. I will tell you what they were. At our house, I’m sort of the ‘undeclared’ and unofficially nominated pray-er at meal time. Whether in some diner, restaurant, or sitting around our table at home, like many families, I know,…
Hi. I’m Ken Jones and this is a Classic State of Mind, with A Word About Maps … As I looked into my bathroom mirror this morning, (and combed what few hairs I have left on my head) … a curious thought came to me: I’m not sure when I discovered it, really. How difficult…
When I was in grade school, first learning how to write a story, my teacher always said great writing always addressed five important questions: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. We live in a time when asking questions and getting some kind of instant answer couldn’t possibly be much easier. Ask Alexa or Google what…
Last night, I took my wife out for pizza at one of those places where you stand on one side of a glass case, and a line of servers stands on the other side, in front of various toppings you can choose from — stuff you might like on your pizza. When it was our…
I filled up my truck with gas this morning. Man, I can’t believe how the price of gasoline has gone up. And the St. Louis Cardinals scored fourteen runs the other night, in their game. I couldn’t believe how many homeruns they hit, either. And my air conditioner at home is on the fritz, can…
Hi. I’m Ken Jones, and this is A Classic State of Mind, with a word about … A Blessed Life I lead a blessed life, really. Like everybody else, I suppose, there are some challenges in what I have to face every day. But as I contemplate my life and where I am, I…
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Every morning, just before I walk out the door to begin my day, I grab my stuff off the top of my dresser. And every evening, as part of my close-down-the-day ritual, I empty my pockets and place my ‘stuff’ onto the top of that dresser. My wallet, my two sets of keys — one…
I’m a nut about words. I love words, especially beautifully crafted words. Webster’s Dictionary has a very short definition of a ‘wordsmith.’ A skilled user of words. I’m not convinced I’m a wordsmith, but I do love to read writers who exhibit extraordinary skill in how they craft their words. Meanings of words, definitions of…
I don’t know how many times it’s happened to me. Certainly, it’s more frequent than it used to be. The frustration of trying to ‘recall’ something I have known in the past, but now I just can’t quite remember. Sometimes, it’s the name of a place. “Honey,” I will ask my wife, “What’s the name…