We’ve seen wishing wells at amusement parks and on old farms. They’re quaint – you toss a coin in the well and whatever you wish for, it might come true. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. But it’s a nice diversion if you believe in such things. But in reality, what are we wishing for? …
Read MoreAll articles filed in Reflection
Toll Gate Ice Cream: Thank you, Robert Zautner.
I still remember, as clear as day, during the time when I spent a few childhood years in Slingerlands, when my grandfather would take me to the post office at the intersection of Kenwood Avenue and New Scotland Road. He would pick up the family mail and postcards, and if I had been a good…
Read MoreA Gun Without a Trigger
Pull up a chair and pour yourself a beverage. We need to talk about some stuff. You’ve heard the phrases before. “Baiting.” “Pushing buttons.” “Entrapping.” It’s when someone knows that you get quickly angry about something, and they use that knowledge to tempt you into saying, or thinking, or doing, something seriously wrong. They’re the…
Read MoreThe Station fire, nine years later
It was an accident waiting to happen. And it never should have happened. It’s February 20, 2003, and the rock band Great White is playing at a small venue in Warwick, Rhode Island. The place is packed, and Great White goes into their first song. Some pyrotechnics erupt behind the band, as is the plan…
Read MoreWhen your heart is torn in two … the best Valentine’s Day gift is Krazy Glue
Valentine’s Day is coming up. It’s less than two weeks away. And as far as I’m concerned, it should probably be scrubbed off the calendar with an industrial strength Brillo pad. Let’s face it. For me, Valentine’s Day is when you really learn where your relationships stand. It’s when you learn that there’s a passive-aggressive…
Read MoreJoe Paterno: Death of a Tarnished Icon
I can’t imagine the grief around State College right now. I just can’t. Joe Paterno passed away today. He was 85. If this had happened last year, we would have read obituaries with words like “longtime coach” and “icon” and “Nittany Lion pride” and “hardscrabble” and “unstoppable” and “national championships.” And today, the obituaries read…
Read More“A dozen fancy donuts, please…”
The cashier at the Dunkin’ Donuts looked at me as if to say, “Who are you and what have you done with the Chuck Miller that usually comes in here and only orders the wake-up breakfast wrap and a diet cola?” But there was a reason for doing this. Sometimes it’s all you can do.…
Read MorePrayers for those who have passed in 2011…
We start each year with wonderful thoughts and good wishes. And through the year, we lose many of our friends and companions and loved ones and admired ones along the way. Goodbye, Sam Carey. You made a positive impression on every teammate you ever had. Goodbye, Tyler Rhodes. A wonderful and brilliant life… taken too…
Read MorePromises and Pushkes
I sent a contract to a stone-cutting company in Massachusetts last week. And if all goes well, I’m completing a promise. I promised that every penny I earned from my photography awards this year, every penny that came from the sale of an artwork, every penny I earned by helping someone out – all that…
Read MoreWhen I recycle a blog post… I REALLY recycle a blog post.
Some bloggers, when they can’t think of a new idea for a new blog post, or they don’t feel like writing one, simply go back to their archives, pull out an old blog post from last year or two years ago, change the publication date, and voila – instant blog post. Before anybody says, “Hey…
Read More
Chuck The Writer 
You must be logged in to post a comment.