Words To Live By, Words To Die By, Words

by Kevin Burton    I bury my mother today. Can you imagine such a thing?    Life is a coin flip, with love on one side and pain on the other. Pain, in some measure, is the residue of love.    Live. Love. Toss the coin. Do it.    “There’s a sad day coming, and …

My Friend, “Prepaid” Is The Only Way To Go

by Kevin Burton    I called the cemetery where my mother will be buried next week and told the clerk that the time had come.    The clerk was actually en route to work. She said she would look up our family’s records once she got there, and call me back.    “Everything is paid …

Make Time For Mom, You’ll Be Glad You Did

by Kevin Burton    One day my mother received a letter. The people who owned the house she was renting were going to sell it, and she had 30 days to get out.    It was ridiculous to expect her to move that quickly, and my brother successfully negotiated an additional six weeks. But we …

Bye For Now, Evelyn Marie, Bye For Now

by Kevin Burton    Mom started it. I followed suit right away. We both understood though we never discussed it.    Somewhere, maybe six or seven years ago, we began ending a phone conversation or one of my visits to her at assisted living or in the nursing home with “bye for now!”    We’ll …

Baby On Board! Woman Gives Birth On Flight

by Kevin Burton    Chances are you’ve heard this story by now, of a baby being born mid-air on a Portland, Oregon-bound flight April 24.    Page 7 is hardly a breaking news outlet, so I’m guessing you’ve read about it somewhere.    But here’s my question: Did Delta Airlines try to charge the mother …

Floating An Idea For Next Year’s Anniversary

by Kevin Burton    From out of the blue, (and from the Associated Press) I get a super idea for a fun adventure. And my wife is shooting it down.    But wait.  I say this is a developing story. We have almost a whole year to talk things over.    Stay tuned dear readers, …

Our Getaway In Beautiful Downtown Newton

by Kevin Burton    “There are no boring towns, just boring people,” said my first editor. Not all his nuggets were golden. That one was, and is.    My wife Jeannette and I are not boring people Thus we were in no danger of being bored, though we made the curious choice of Newton, Kansas …

Quibbles And Bits: B-Side Fortune Cookies

by Kevin Burton    I list these songs below, and chances are you’ll pick up right away where I am going with them:    “Laughing” and “Undun” by the Guess Who, “It’s Too Late” and  “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King  “Who’ll Stop The Rain” and  “Travelling Band” by Credence Clearwater Revival, “Something” …

Prose and Poetry In The Sweetest Of Harmony

by Kevin Burton     Prose and poetry share a bookshelf without rancor or squabbles. Each has a place, and then there is a place shared.    There is an understanding.    You know and appreciate them for what they are. Each is comfortable within itself. But they are pleased for the company of the other, …

Live The Example Christ Set For Husbands

by Kevin Burton     Husbands, take note. Here’s a lesson in love from the book of Ephesians.    Whether your wedding anniversary is coming up, as mine is, or not, the Apostle Paul’s admonition should be on your mind at all times and close to your heart.     May your wife warm herself in the …