Right around St. Patrick’s Day of 2020, it appeared that the sky was indeed falling. Cruise ships were afloat and being denied entry to ports around the world and we all were hoping that this strange, new virus from China would somehow decide to not visit the United States.  We now all know how that worked out. But all is not lost.

If you are reading this, you are likely stressed out wondering when our livelihoods will return to something close to normal. I am at the head of that line for sure. But the fact that we have survived this long when the run was pulled out from under us, speaks volumes to our tenacity, resolve, and enthusiasm to survive and thrive in an industry…

I'm thinking about containers and contents lately. We all love great containers. Last year, I went to a local shop and purchased a new hummingbird feeder crafted by an artist somewhere near Asheville. Instead of the plastic parts found on a standard retail feeder, this one has a very unique red bottle as a container. It is decorated with copper tubing from which the hummingbird drinks and metal flowers are soldered onto the copper. It is a real work of art, and I enjoy it tremendously.

I'm pretty sure the hummingbirds, however, care more about the content in the bottle.  If I put something less to their liking in the bottle, it doesn't matter how attractive the container.  Not only will they not drink from it, they…

Even when times are good, sometimes Thanksgiving is a difficult concept for me to grasp. It calls on me to distinguish between wants and needs, and explore what true gratitude feels like and how I put my thankfulness to…