TreeHouseLetter

The last First Day of School, the end of summer, just what summer means, and life's next stage

Southeast Alaska, the Inside Passage, Klondike Gold Rush

A dying art, a gift from yesterday, there's nothing so full bodied and rich as  words on paper. Photos may capture the appearance in any given moment, but words, his words, they capture his mind and spirit

On generational service and the reasons we serve. Remembering  sacrifice and celebrating a new Army lieutenant in the family. 

A Story and Two Short Poems: by a Zen Monk & Mary Oliver

April Fools Day and Humor in Uniform. Three stories from cadet life.  The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes. Churchill

“Would you mind if I take off my shirt?” he said.  A story from a retreat in North Carolina.  The Odyssey, the Devil, and a Home

Fun things-to-do and great eats in Key West. New Year's on Wheels - Road trip (Ct to VA) and family skating. 

Tough times define us.  Whitman's Ghost or Simon, played by Joe Pesci in the 1994 film With Honors, shares a message. 

Brady Shattan joins us to talk about spirit friends, his guardian angel and extrasensory perception.  

What happens when someone dies, when the worldly connection is broken?  Where are the healers and the mediums and the shamans today?  This is the third episode in Spirits of the Fall: True Stories of the Season, eerie occurrences, real-life horrors, ghosts, and second sight.

Second in the series of the season: real-life horrors and ghosts.  

This is the first in a series of True Stories for the season, of eerie occurrences, real-life horrors, visits from the beyond, haunted rooms, and childhood visions.

Fall is the season for running. This story is about failure and mastery, how that became a commander's story.

Thoughts on the anthem and the flag, what they mean. 

A graveyard visit on a father's death day and a daughter's birthday.   Maya Angelou's advice on the legacy of departed loves. 

I've gotten to know my son better now that he's left. 

Today’s letter is about something that matters, an important debate happening in society right now. In the wake of recent events regarding the tragic death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests, this letter is more relevant than ever. It has been updated to relate my own experience and the role of the brave men and women who are called to the profession of arms, with a special thank you to thos...

Death of a Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and Twilight by Lucretia Maria Davidson A tribute to my Uncle, a South Vietnamese officer who never came home

My story about a Nursing Home. Some Gorey stuff, some sad stuff,  some crass stuff.  What gives life meaning? what would great writers say?

Consider the pandemic crisis and the moral claims of shutting down the economy. What are consequences, good and bad? How do COVID deaths compare to other mortality data?

A pulse on High School and College Seniors, where they are and how they're doing. Taking comfort in poetry and a mother's wish. 

A child's note, three gifts, and Leo Tolstoy's famous story

You ever have that moment when something you’ve believed for some time begins to shift and slip, leaving you a bit off-balance?

Three simple toasts, suitable for most occasions, and easy to remember. And, a little about the semicolon.