Columnists

I had something already ready to go for a column this week — probably something hard-hitting, edgy and award-winning to challenge readers — but it kind of lost its gusto when the news came that Friend of the Forum and a friend to all who knew him, the wonderful Bob Westfall, passed away last Wednesday.…

The subject of President Donald Trump is an emotionally charged one. I rarely write about him for that very reason – I offend everyone. Half the country believes he’s our only hope, and the other half believes he will lead this nation and her people to our untimely end. And I don’t buy either of…

“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” — Michael J. Fox Before Dave and I even had a family I told him a non-negotiable for me was the nightly family dinner. Growing up an only child with a dad who worked most evenings, I rarely experienced a meal at our table with both my…

I was just in the right place at the right time to see it, and it didn’t last long. A hawk came out of the timber and passed across a small opening in the woods with a cluster of oak leaves in his talons, pursued by four or five smaller birds, and about the size…

I read a story the other day and I thought if this wasn’t so funny, I think I would cry. Let me share it with you. We had dinner at another couple’s house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. Chris and I sat around talking. Chris said, “Last…

As I near the end of my second term as chief justice, I want to share the incredible journey I’ve had visiting all 46 judicial circuits in Missouri over the past two years. My statewide tour was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career, aimed at showing appreciation to the hardworking court staff…

Having taught high school language arts for 18 years, I honed my own interpretations of the works of literature that I taught. Hopefully, I helped my students to do this for themselves as well. I taught William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar every single year of my time in the classroom. At my administrative desk, teaching the…

As the years go by, it gets more difficult to impress my wife. Although now that I look back, I wonder if she was ever really too impressed with me, or if she just liked me enough to endure my childish showing off. I used to run and jump and joke and spout out my…

What is a hammer? First and foremost it is a tool that has been used for ages. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as a hand tool consisting of a solid head set crosswise on a handle and used for pounding. Throughout recent history, our presidents have unilaterally used the heavy hammer of the U.S. military…

I sat on my back porch one day last week watching the birds around the feeders in the backyard. For 30 years I have never seen a red headed woodpecker come to those feeders until this year. Those beautifully colored woodpeckers like to be around water, and a pair has nested down by the pond…