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Arrest warrants and so-called friends
I had forgotten all about that outstanding arrest warrant until the state trooper pulled up behind my car and turned on his lights. I had driven to Pennsylvania from New York to visit a girl. When I got into town I called her house. Her mother answered. Her mother hated me. I told her who…
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You should be ashamed
A twelve year old boy left the pool and run up the steps to the observation deck. He was naked. All boys swam nude back then. Girls were not allowed in the pool. His mom was talking to a group of women. He waited politely for them to finish their conversation. Two girls stood looking…
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Yes. We are guilty. We know it.
I was sitting alone on a bench at the apartment playground. My three year old daughter was playing in the grass with another child a few feet in front of me. My wife and six other women conversed on two benches about thirty feet to my right. I was absorbed in a book when a…
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You are not born into sin
There is an American Indian tale where a man tells a child about two wolves battling within the mind and heart of man. One is good, the other evil. The child wants to know which wolf will win. The adult answers, whichever one you feed. The Christian concept of original sin, that man is born…
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Nude in public – part two
My sales partner was a good swimmer. I asked how he learned to swim. He said, “I was thirteen when my father moved us up-state. We were the only black family in town. One day my homeroom teacher announced that the YMCA was offering swimming lessons for boys eight to thirteen. I brought a permission…
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Nude in public – part one
My first job out of college was in sales. After training I was partnered with a young black man. We traveled together our first week on the road, taking turns being the salesman. Our territory included Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. We drove a lot. At the end of one grueling day…
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When did you close your mind?
I looked out my home office window. A mother is walking by with a baby in a stroller. A three year old boy ran past her, then slows to match her pace. The mother looks straight ahead. The boy looks everywhere. Something in a yard catches his attention. He runs to investigate. This is an…