Personal Growth

November 2, 2013
November 2, 2013
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Relationships, Familiarity, and Contempt

ContemptAbout 10 years ago, an adorer called our home to let us know that he and his wife were not going to be able to cover their holy hour.  (For the purpose of this article, I’m going to call him Frank.)  At the time of the call, Frank and his wife were in their late 70s.  Since no one was home to answer the telephone, Frank left a message on our answering machine.

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October 30, 2013
October 30, 2013
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Going Shopping At The Nut House

The Nut HouseThere’s a business on Main Street in downtown Peoria, across the street from the courthouse, called The Nut House.  The inside of the business consists of a tiny storeroom that is lined with glass display cases along three sides.  Inside the display cases are numerous trays and jars that contain different types of candy and nuts.  On top of the display cases and on shelves attached to the walls are decorative jars that are also filled with candy and nuts.  There are at least 200 different items on display that a customer can choose from.

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October 26, 2013
October 26, 2013
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The Loss of a Unique Football Coach

Bum PhillipsHave you ever heard of Bum Phillips?  He was the football coach who built the Houston Oilers into one of the top NFL teams in the late 1970s.  Phillips was best known for his larger-than-life, no-nonsense character.  He referred to himself as a “coach, cowboy, and Christian,” and customarily dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, a work shirt, and a white Stetson hat.

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October 12, 2013
October 12, 2013
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Shined Shoes Save Lives

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

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October 10, 2013
October 10, 2013
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Advice From a Mother of Four Young Children

My oldest daughter, Anna (30 years old), has been married for nine years.  She and her husband, Josh, have four children, all of whom are under the age of eight.  Anna recently sent an email to everyone in our family with a suggestion:

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September 26, 2013
September 26, 2013
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Weak: “having little physical power or ability”

For some unknown reason, during the past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about the 10 principal virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  As a reminder, the 10 principal virtues are (1) her profound humility, (2) her lively faith, (3) her blind obedience, (4) her continual mental prayer, (5) her mortification in all things, (6) her surpassing purity, (7) her ardent charity, (8) her heroic patience, (9) her angelic sweetness, and (10) her divine wisdom.

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September 21, 2013
September 21, 2013
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Rebellion Among McDonald’s Employees

McDonalds MonopolyWhen my wife and I returned to Peoria after I graduated from law school (1982), a cloud of fear overshadowed Central Illinois.  Peoria was still reeling from the thousands of layoffs that had taken place in the late 1970s.  Families were fleeing to other states in search of good-paying jobs.

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September 14, 2013
September 14, 2013
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Fearless

Fear Into ActionDuring the summer of 1989, most evenings I came home from work, ate supper with my family, and then sat in a lawn chair in the front yard of our home to read the newspaper.  We lived in a quiet, residential neighborhood in Peoria where there wasn’t much traffic.

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September 8, 2013
September 8, 2013
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The Appetite of Fear

Fear Stops LifeLast week I told you about the first auto accident injury case that I tried in front of a jury.  I won the case despite being up against a trial attorney who had more than 30 years of experience, compared to my two years of experience.  I told you about how I was like a fearless teenager who takes risks he shouldn’t take and jumps into situations he shouldn’t be involved in.  Because of my youthfulness and lack of experience, I didn’t have any fear of going up against the older more experienced attorney.

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