Years ago, I was with a group of former Marines helping out a Marine’s ailing father manage farm chores in the Midwest. As a northern boy raised in the city, I had no knowledge of the management and difficulties of tending acres of corn, soybeans and vegetables, irrigation, and weed control. Tending to livestock, bailing hay, driving tractors, and milking cows were not in my skillset. Sitting for breakfast at 5 a.m. was a shock as I sat frozen, staring at a large slice of rhu

For some people, finding joy at Christmas is difficult or painful. I lost my mother just before Christmas Day; as the days draw closer to...