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 …

Pleasures And Benefits Of Soaking In The Rain

by Ally Hirschlag BBC    It was the sixth straight day of the heat index topping 100F (38C) in New Milford, Connecticut, when the sky turned a sickening shade of puce.    I was leading an outdoor theatre workshop, and noticed campers gawking at an ominous, miles-long shelf cloud advancing overhead. Then a thunderclap shook …

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 …

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 …

Staying (Tornado) Safe In The Neighborhood

by Kevin Burton    All’s well that ends well when you are dining out. And that doesn’t always mean having a tasty dessert.    Things do tend to end well when we’re hearing from the Good News Network. Today GNN’S Andy Corbley writes of a restaurant manager whose quick thinking saved lives when severe weather …

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 …

She’s Still The One After Fourteen Years

by Kevin Burton    My wife asked me a question, but her question made me ask more questions.    This was around Valentine’s Day, and I wanted to write about it right away, but I didn’t get there. Missed my window. But since our anniversary is now only three days away, voila, another window.    …