J. Davy Crockett III

Recently, I realized a dream, a long-held goal to visit Ireland, England and Scotland. My timing wasn't very good because the "Yankee Dollar" doesn't buy much anymore, especially in the United Kingdom or the European Union. But it was a great opportunity and my wife and I enjoyed it immensely.

What's your pleasure? A question that is often asked in this hedonistic society, especially in the Western world, seemingly insulated from the incredible devastation that has struck the Asian countries in recent times.

Once, as I drove through a part of our city, I was taken aback by the number of tattoo parlors that had sprung up to meet the obvious demand for what some call "body art." Some were upscale storefronts with catchy names; others were seedy looking establishments.

Nursing homes are places that I have often visited as a minister. Such visits can be a vivid reality check regarding the dramatic effects of aging. These “assisted living” and “memory care” facilities are places for men and women who have reached the point of needing care that their families, for whatever reason, are unable to give.

There is a great story about Art Linkletter, who was a household name and widely known in his heyday as a television personality. The story goes that, as Mr. Linkletter entertained at a nursing home, with microphone in hand, he asked an elderly lady in a wheelchair, “Do you know who I am?” The lady replied, “No, I don’t, but if you will go over to the nurses’ station, one of the nice people there will tell you who you are.”