J. Davy Crockett III

"Representative Rangel Censured by the Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives" was the headline in the news of recent days.  It was just more of the same kind of disappointing reports of various public figures – from federal judges, state legislators, governors, senators and congressmen – being caught with their "hand in the cookie jar" taking bribes, selling influence, evading taxes, often involving sexual misconduct and infidelity.

Each day, our news sources bring us more sobering reports about the crushing level of unemployment in the United States of America.  It is much the same in the United Kingdom and in much of the European Union.  With each report, the stock markets in the various countries react negatively, as the confidence of investors is shaken once again.

“Going green” is all in vogue, as the need to conserve—and the practicality of recycling—becomes even more compelling in crippled economies around the world. Things that were once thoughtlessly discarded are now often repurposed or recycled. More energy-efficient methods of doing daily chores and routine tasks are being sought at every level. It just makes good sense to do some of these things.

We seem to make too few friends as we go through life. The friends you have in childhood and in high school are often just a memory, as life and the demands of making a living unfold and the years roll by. As adults, we have business associates, co-workers, casual acquaintances, and the like, but usually few deep, abiding friendships.

A legacy can be a wonderful thing. Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines legacy as "A bequest, a gift by will; something received from an ancestor or predecessor." A legacy could be property or financial assets, great literature or works of art, or something more transcendental, such as a good name, a wonderful example, or a philosophy of life and how to live it.