Mrs. Hummel told me if I wanted to be a better writer I needed to read more. “Read more Mr. Les. Read more.” With her quirky soft smile and dainty eyes hidden behind her spectacles, my 9th grade English teacher Mary Hummel would look at me with that rare level of confidence found only in a few teachers (along with every mother) who saw something the rest of the world never could. I don’t know if she knew then the…
I’ve always felt connected to “flawed individuals” who choose to step into their confidence, despite the many reasons they have not too, and find a way to make an impact in life. Kobe Bryant was such an individual. He was “polarizing and controversial” at times, as my friend Brendan Cannon wrote on the news of Kobe’s tragic death yesterday. And Kobe was flawed with his share of mistakes. Though on the basketball court he was one of the superhumans, the…
Through tragedy The soul most broken is healed By the touching hand Of unseen angels – Les Patterson
Aaron Kelson is an old friend from our college days at Utah State University. He was getting his masters and I was slowly working on my bachelor’s degree. That’s he and his wife Roxanne in the photo. During our college days, I was also traversing a challenging journey with cancer which put me out of work. And with no insurance, we quickly racked up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Many people stepped into our lives to help…
To those friends who have anchored my soul in the midst of the battering storms… I love you. BATTERING STORMS By Les Patterson I was lost Wandering aimlessly Broken body and soul Without hope Brightness was gone Chased away by darkness Then a friend Came wandering by Kindred souls connecting Then chose to stay Why I struggle to know Even through most rocky times Like an anchor Stabilizes a drifting ship Solid in place I began to feel The storm…
It’s Time To FORGET Resolutions And Goals!!! Why, you may ask? Simple. They don’t work. At least not collectively. The words seem to have lost any real meaning, speaking again collectively. The reason they’ve lost their power is that we generally do not connect the necessary action steps to go with them. As for me, I use the word OBJECTIVE because it automatically invites me to create strategies to acheive the objective. While objective tends to be more connected with…
As the old adage goes… “Out with the old, in with the new!” Clutter is the old. Physical clutter. Mental clutter. Life clutter. If we want to change the clutter in our lives, we must find something better, new, or simply even different to replace it with (shout out for the inspiration to my friend Ashley Stuart of Rethink Clutter!) This is where the persuasive power of the story we create for ourselves can become exponentially powerful. OUT WITH THE…
With no kids around Christmas morning for the first time, I had to find something creative to occupy my time. It didn’t take long before words started flowing and out came two new poems and a third which was nearing completion. The first poem I wrote reflected the epic moment of having no kids at home on Christmas morning. For the first time in 30 years we slept in thanks to no kids jumping on the bed (or softly knocking…
“Keep writing,” Clark Gentry said to me. “Keep inspiring.” The occasion was my birthday in 2018. He knew we both had an affection for great poetry and he shared one of his favorite poems as a way of encouraging me to “keep writing [and]… inspiring.” “Would You Scale the Highest Heaven,” by James Allen encourages us to focus the silent power of thought and to “Dwell… upon the Grandest.” Dwell in thought upon the Grandest, And the Grandest you shall…
Elisa and I are experiencing our first Christmas in 30 years sleeping in with no kids jumping on the bed (or softly knocking on the door as they got older). Even our very first Christmas morning we were blessed to already have our first child, our son Cody who was born on December 23rd. We brought home on Christmas Eve in a stocking large enough to swaddle him. As empty nesters we experience a range of emotions, missing our kiddos…