J. Davy Crockett III

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said Juliet in Shakespeare's famous work, Romeo and Juliet. The playwright makes the point that just changing the name of something doesn't change what it actually is.

It is true that communication is very important to all of us. Yet our language evolves and words or terms change in meaning from generation to generation, which can be confusing.

The good ol' USA has been on a binge.  A real drunk.  A fall down, slobbering, substance abuse induced intoxication.  I'm not talking about alcohol or illicit drugs, but a binge nonetheless. And, as in an alcoholic stupor which leads to a terrific hangover, this country is feeling the painful effect of its overindulgence.

In southwest Arkansas there is a diamond mine. That's right, a genuine diamond mine. At the turn of the 20th century diamonds were mined commercially at the site, producing high-grade diamonds, mostly colored stones.

When the lode no longer yielded diamonds in sufficient quantities to be commercially feasible, the mining operation shut down. The land owner would then let folks hunt diamonds on the property for a small fee, and they got to keep whatever they found.

A cousin of mine has been very successful in several business ventures. He has worked hard over many years and has accumulated wealth and property. He has the accouterments of wealth that one might expect in the form of homes, cars, boats, an airplane, and a farm in the country. This cousin has traveled extensively pursuing his interests and passions. Along the way, his family fell apart and he has experienced a lot of heartache and pain. His “success” has not really brought him the peace of mind and satisfaction that he thought it would.

The bare trees make a silhouette on the horizon in the winter morning light, beautiful to behold in the cold, clear, crisp air. Not much traffic on a Saturday morning, a far cry from the crowded traffic on roadways on weekday commutes for most workers.

The radio news is relatively quiet, except for analysis of the still-ongoing political issues and talk about the big games scheduled for the weekend.