Words of Wisdom

Unfortunately, I don’t see as many pretty colors on trees as Autumn slowly turns to winter. Most of the trees around me have leaves that turn a bit yellow, sometimes with a hint of gold or orange, but the colors aren’t as spectacular as they are in other places.

When I take my daily walk with my dog, I’m always on the lookout for a splash of red and finally saw some on a sapling that was growing in a copse of trees.

My dog, Dusty, always waits patiently for me to get a picture taken, so I had to get a shot of him, too. The picture also shows a bit of the road we walk along the RR right-of-way.

Depending on who you were supporting in the elections across the U.S., you are either elated or disappointed. I’m 90% elated, so thrilled for the Biden/Harris ticket, but disappointed in the TX, SC, and Kentucky senate races. Not that it had to be a Democrat to take those seats, but I was so hoping that the career politicians would be voted out.

I’m still waiting for the legislator who will be brave enough to push term-limits through Congress.

A friend of mine sends me daily devotionals that often have a real gem of wisdom. The devotional is written by a Christian woman who has a similar religious philosophy as I do, which happens to be very ecumenical. Reading the daily offerings, I never feel like I’m being preached at by a person with a narrow world and religious view, so I find what she has to say helpful and inspirational.

One that came recently contained this gem:

If you only see the negative about everyone and feel the need to verbalize those negative views, eventually people will begin to judge you as a negative, fault finding, unpleasant person they would rather not be around.

If only some people would be able to take that bit of advice to heart. How much better our world would be without all the negatives.

Sort of in the same vein is this quote from Matthew McConaughey:

True confrontation validates the other person’s point of view without rancor.

He said that during an online chat session with Ethan Hawke that I listened to this past Saturday. It was a fun time with two actors whose work I really like, as they discussed McConaughey’s book Greenlights.

This was part of the virtual book tour that McConaughey has been on, and this session was sponsored by the Texas Book Festival.

I’ve been a huge fan of the actor since I first saw him in “A Time To Kill.” In that film, he played a lawyer who was defending a black man who shot the white man who had raped his daughter. It was a story with powerful messages about the imbalance in the criminal justice system, systemic racism, and the great racial divide.

Back in 1996 when the movie was released, and I saw it for the first time, I wished everyone in the world would watch it and let it change their hearts. Since then, I’ve watched the film several more times, and each time the wish is still the same.

This coming weekend, Friday and Saturday, I’ll be at the Art & Wine Festival in Winnsboro. This annual event draws artists and patrons of the arts together for a fun-filled two days of creative energy. Texas wineries come with some spectacular wine for the tasting and the sharing. It’s a great opportunity to pick up a special piece of art for yourself or someone else.

I’ll be sharing an author-table with the Winnsboro Historian, Bill Jones, and we will have copies of the books we’ve written together that focus on the history of Winnsboro and Wood County. I’ll also have a few copies of some of my books, including Desperate Season, the third book in the Seasons Mystery Series.

 

If you are near Winnsboro and come out next weekend, please do look for our table.

That’s all from me for today. I do hope your week starts off well today, and above all, be safe and stay healthy.