By Glenn Dromgoole I was straining to make outthe letters on the bottom lineof the eye chart on the wallwhile the letters on the top linewere clearly visible I was reminded how our focustoo often is on the bottom lineinstead of the top linewhere priorities and values should direct our vision Glenn Dromgoole’s latest book is A Few Encouraging Words. He

By Glenn Dromgoole Christmas begins at the manger. It doesn’t end there. If we don’t get beyond the manger, the wise men, the shepherds, the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, we really miss the point of Christmas. Christmas isn’t so much about the miraculous way Jesus of Nazareth was born as it is about the way he lived. And the

By Glenn Dromgoole More than ever beforeI’m praying for peaceThis Christmas season. Peace in our fragile worldWhere any day we couldAnnihilate ourselves. Peace in our divided nationWhere we have barely survivedA contentious election. Peace in our prayersFor a President many of usDid not support but many did. And, yes, he needs our prayersAnd, yes, he needs my prayersFor our country,

By Glenn Dromgoole An Attitude of Gratitude:appreciating what we haverather than taking it for granted. An Attitude of Gratitude:finding time for a smile,a thank you, a phone call, a note. An Attitude of Gratitude:reaching out  with a helping hand.  An Attitude of Gratitude:making kindnessa priority. An Attitude of Gratitude:seeking out the joy in lifeand embracing it. An Attitude of Gratitude:accepting the

By Glenn Dromgoole My friend Jay Moore’s entertaining and informative new book, Abilene’s War With Whiskey and Other Hometown Commotions, deals with the colorful and contentious history of the wet vs. dry forces here. And it brought back to mind my lone minor involvement in a wet-dry election, way back when. It was in the ‘50s. I was 10 or

By Glenn Dromgoole “Morning Has Broken” is a popular hymn found in most hymnals (for those of us who still use them!). It was originally published in 1931 as a Christian hymn with the title “Thanks for a Day,” written by English author Eleanor Farjeon and set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune. I don’t remember singing it in the

By Glenn Dromgoole Abilene poet Bob Fink spoke at our church on a Wednesday night and gave us a handout – a one-page excerpt from Michael Perry’s book, Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time. Bob encouraged us to select one line from the piece that might make a good first line in a poem.  I was

By Glenn Dromgoole One of my favorite country songs of all time is “Little Bitty,” a peppy number written by Tom T. Hall and made into a hit by Alan Jackson. The chorus:  Well, it’s all right to be little bittyA little hometown or a big old cityMight as well share, might as well smileLife goes on for a little

By Glenn Dromgoole One of the many things I like about Loretta Fulton’s Spirit of Abilene website is that it is trying to keep alive something that has almost become extinct: the importance of personal commentary or personal journalism to the fabric and spirit of a community. Unfortunately, that’s missing from most daily newspapers these days. There was a time,