Eighteen years age today Dec. 11th 1992 the phone by the bed rang at 6:10am. The voice on the phone abruptly said that my son Brian (24) had been killed in a hunting accident. There was no time to process, to prepare, to adjust. Brian
As a couple checked out this morning I was in the School House and saw them whispering and looking at me. They had been here several times before and we had visited at the breakfast table earlier. Thinking that they obviously had something to say
AM I A FAILURE? I have attempted a lot of things in my life. Fortunately a majority of those attempts achieved some success. But to be honest, some things just did not work out. When you are in the middle of one of those unsuccessful
I just received an email that started like this: “After spending several anniversaries at Whitestone Country Inn I wanted to tell you that September 2nd (our 55th anniversary) was our last visit and we will not be returning.” Since return guests are so important to us,
Every afternoon the sand hill cranes can be seen and heard as they head back to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge down river from Whitestonr Country Inn. Approximately 10,000 sand hill cranes and a few whooping cranes migrate and spend January and Feburary in this refuge
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1676. But Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation in the midst of the civil war in 1864. It is a reminder of how central God was to Lincoln’s thought processes. And a reminder of how far our government has
Our founding fathers declared that we have the right to “the pursuit of happiness”.And pursue we do! We have DNA left over from Eden that pushes us toward Heaven on earth. Advertising promises happiness from cereal to cars to clothes. Universities have crowded classes teaching
How we communicate with others is foundational to success in business and in personal relationships. I led a sseminar last weekend here at Whitestone on Successful Communication. Here is a note from one of the attendees. “The seminar was both challenging and useful in our
“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can do is get away and rest.” -Ashleigh Brilliant. How do you measure the value of finding “sanctuary for the soul”? What paradigm shift occurs when you find time to step aside to think? I received a letter this
In 1963 I started making notes about a resort where people could find peace and truly escape the stress of everyday life. I was clear even then about the transformational aspects of a “sanctuary for the soul”. ” Don’t just get away but leave having
