Posts Tagged ‘Daris Howard’
Anyone Can See Love
By Daris Howard It was my second Thanksgiving far from home. I was invited to dinner by a family that I dearly loved. Norma, the mother, was a wonderful lady. Though she was blind, nothing much slowed her down. She ran her home with efficiency and precision. But there was something else that made her more amazing. She had eight children; four had mental handicaps, and the other four had physical handicaps. Each mentally challenged child was paired with a physically challenged child. ... Full Story
Life’s Outtakes: Sisterly Love
by Daris Howard Trissa stomped into our bedroom. “Make her leave Toby alone!” Toby was Trissa’s special Teddy bear. He was a perfect size and very soft. But most importantly, he only had one eye. Trissa had endured many eye surgeries when she was only four years old, and was very attached to her one-eyed bear. I pulled Trissa up close to me. “Who would be bothering Toby?” I asked. “Everybody knows he is your ... Full Story
Life’s Outtakes: A Relative Disaster
A Relative Disaster By Daris Howard The church bulletin carried a notice for a genealogy class that was going to be offered in our local community. A friend of mine joked that I ought to take it to help me find out why I’m so nutty. “Maybe you will learn that you have had squirrels in your family tree.” “Very funny,” I replied. But I must admit that the thought intrigued me. I have some old aunts that work on this kind of thing all of the time. They can tell me who my ... Full Story
Differences In Gratitude
By Daris Howard I was 19 years old, living in New York, and a long way from home. It was Thanksgiving time, and I knew I would not be able to go home for Thanksgiving. Two different families. that attended the same church I did, invited me to Thanksgiving dinner. The first dinner was to be at about noon, and the second would be around 7:00 in the evening. Being young, and having a big appetite, I figured I would be fine accepting both. On that morning, I ate a light breakfast so I could ... Full Story
Why I Am A Teacher
By Daris Howard It was summer graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day it was, unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor. That one was in April and the cold south wind had swirled the snow around us. On that day, as we watched the students file past, one of my more seasoned colleagues, who was also my mentor, turned to me and said, “Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest times of your life.” When I asked him why it was ... Full Story
Life’s Outtakes: A little bit of motivation
By Daris Howard Arden stormed into the house and dropped into a chair, tired and discouraged. His wife, Rachel, brought him a cold drink of water. “How’s the harvest going, Dear?” He shook his head. “Not well. With all of the men gone off to fight Hitler, getting the beets topped and off to market seems impossible. I thought it was an answer to my prayers when they decided to let the schools out for harvest so the boys could help. But they have no motivation to ... Full Story
A Technology World
By Daris Howard I had been grading papers all day, and I was exhausted. As the work day ended and I left my office, it felt good to step out into the fresh air. I decided to take a longer route to the parking lot to see if I could clear the cobwebs from my head. As I turned the last corner, about 100 yards from where I was parked, I joined a couple of young men who were coming from the lower part of campus. Their clothes were rough and their appearance unkempt. They looked ... Full Story
Keeping A Promise
By Daris Howard I had recently arrived in New York and met the group of young men I was going to be working with. I had heard that they often played tricks on the new arrivals, so I was wary. We had a regional meeting coming up, and the more experienced young men gathered around to give me some advice. John, the one that I would be working most closely with, started off. “When we go to the conference, there is a young lady that will be there that you definitely must meet. Look at the ... Full Story
Life’s Outtakes – The Contest For The Best
By Daris Howard I was practicing the 100 meter hurdles when a young man came running up to me. “Coach wants you in his office immediately! ” I hurried in, and found three other young men already there. Coach frowned as I entered. “Kinda slow, Howard. ” “Sorry, Sir, ” I replied. “I was at the track. ” Coach turned so he could face all four of us. “You are to report to the journalism room. ” “Should we change first? ” I asked. “No, and there’s no time for that ... Full Story
Singing To The End Of Life
By Daris Howard Without warning, and with no time to take cover, a German shell exploded, causing Tommy’s world to go black. When he awoke in the field hospital, he could only see shadows, which faded until his vision was gone completely. When Tommy returned from the war, his determination and positive attitude amazed everyone. Often, others were more concerned about his disability than he was. He desired to major in Dairy Management at the state agricultural school, but those in charge ... Full Story
