Graduation time is here and students across the country are making decisions about their future. Many of them will start college but only half of those that start will graduate.

Seems my own version of ‘tough men,’ are rarely found any more, and the modern version of tough men are weak in comparison. Politically, today the phrase characterizes a person who fights for the causes he believes will benefit his people – or likely himself.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED AS LETTER TO THE EDITOR 4/1/23 I moved back to Hughes County three years ago to make this my forever home. This will be where my children and grandchildren come to celebrate holidays and build new memories of life on the farm.

Jim Priest is CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma and can be reached at jpriest@okgoodwill.org. My Dad passed away some years ago and I still miss him every day.

You’ve lived long enough to have heard a bunch of tired cliches and old sayings, I know. One of Andy’s favorites from an old friend is this; “Better hold your holt.” His meaning? Hold your holt…holding on for dear life to your faith in God.

The four gospels not only record the events of what is now known as the first Easter but also bring insight into the emotional impact of those events on the followers of Christ. From the initial sadness brought on by his death on the cross, to the disbelief about his return to life, to the jubilation that came with the acceptance of his resurrection, the first Easter was one those who witnessed it would never forget. Yet strangely, even though the events of that time were recorded in detail by four different biblical authors, none of these men set down the date when it happened.

I recently celebrated a birthday in the hospital undergoing rigorous therapy for a busted hip. Now I am well, but I can’t whiz through the entrance to airports (like I might be flying) So now, I am older but apparently no wise.

Starla Smith is my new favorite Catholic, but she has refrained from trying to lure me into joining her at St. Teresa’s.

The Tall Onion The big oil tank was painted white and shaped like an Onion. It had a big red flying horse painted on its side.

I received a letter from my lifelong friend, Don Self, recently. I thought so much of his parents, the late Charlie and Lanell Self. They were not only great teachers but two of the finest Christians I have ever known.