By JIM NICHOLS At a holiday time it is a question asked innocently. “Will you be traveling to see family?” I asked my young friend and there was a pause that made me realize that might not have been a good question. His response was, “On the first day I’ll be with my mother and family in one city and

By JIM NICHOLS It was a magical machine from my youth. Through the glass top one could see a hundred records lined up in parallel. Each 45-rpm disc was in a position that matched a number in a keyboard. Following the insertion of a dime (three plays for a quarter), you would push a letter and number combination (“A 8”)

By JIM NICHOLS We all have these people in our lives, do we not? Problem people. There is a person down my street who has flown a gigantic TRUMP flag in his front yard for at least three years. I have exchanged pleasantries with him at the mailbox and he seems like a normal person. What is he thinking? There

By JIM NICHOLS The line began to form when dawn was not even in sight. The stoplights were blinking and only a few car lights could be seen. A couple of delivery trucks, loaded during the night, were just leaving the parking lot for the day’s work. The people in the line looked groggy from a poor night’s sleep. Why

By JIM NICHOLS If you have not been in this emotional place recently (or ever), this will not make much sense to you. Otherwise, it might. Recently the hospice organization for which I work part-time had its annual memorial service. Over the past twelve months, 140 enrolled patients had died, and this evening event was an opportunity for family and

By JIM NICHOLS Larry was a runner on the track team of a university in Oklahoma City. He was a distance runner with a slight build, and he reported that it was difficult to run at certain times of the year. He said he had been told that the physical location of his university was at the point of highest

By JIM NICHOLS Some of my old friends are “old” because our friendship has extended multiple years. Others are “old” because of their chronologic age. A few fit both categories. Regardless, I have found that old friends bring realities and truths to my life that are unique and important in my own growth. Sometimes confronting and sometimes uplifting, these friends

By JIM NICHOLS Each of us has events in our past that, in retrospect, have been pivotal in our development. Sometimes they are specific items or times; on other occasions, they are prolonged. One such in the latter category for me was the choice I made for some reason to take four years of Latin when I was in high

By JIM NICHOLS Occasionally, a question is asked whose answer is difficult. This is because there seem to be multiple facets that are conflicting. The consideration features a series of, “Yes, but . . . “statements. Sometimes we try to deal with it by asking related questions. If one enters Walmart or Starbucks, one clearly is a customer. However, if