Had it not been for one of her neighbors calling to recruit my help in straightening out a mix-up in her prescription delivery, I might not have known she was even in the hospital.

Had I not gotten frustrated with her not answering the phone in her room, and asked the nurse to check to see if it was working, I might never have had our last conversation -- ever.

Had things gone differently, my sister and I might've been in town visiting then, instead of the trip planned...

It's been a pretty impressive line of comics leading up to the Really Big Show, but when does the main act come on?

Are we really to believe this is the best the GOP has to offer the country? If that's all there is, for all the abuse hurled, I don't see how anyone can vote GOP next year -- unless they are worse than the candidates. In that case, I see little hope for our future.

I applauded the Occupy Wall Street protesters that first brought their message to public awareness, but I do NOT support the mayhem they are creating. There is a difference between small businesses that are serving their local communities, and multinational corporations that are conspiring against the people all over the world, including Americans to serve their bottom line.

I strongly believe that a better protest would be to stop purchasing goods and services from publicly owned...

and I have to admit that I am completely flummoxed. I believe people have the capacity for good and evil, and it is our choices that lead us on the paths we travel. I also believe that we have a level of intelligence that helps us navigate the path.

What I've seen in recent months belies that philosophy. I've seen and read so many seemingly intelligent and good people making statements that are so blatantly counter-productive to their own and the public good that I am just weary....

I believe in the Universal Presence in which all life has its being, and that Presence is known to peoples of all times by various names. My culture names it God, but others call it Allah, Christ, Buddha, Brahman, the Tao, ... and the list goes on.

I understand that the core of all spiritual practice is the practice of harmonizing with life as it is by the means of love and adoration. It is what grows from the heart when the head and ego don't get in its way.

As sentient...