Opinion

Rural Homeownership is Possible Through USDA By Kenneth Corn Oklahoma State Director, USDA Rural Development I’m a passionate proponent of homeownership. There is simply no better tool for a family to generate generational wealth than through the blessings of being a homeowner. In rural Oklahoma, I know many of our fellow neighbors struggle with the…

Thinking Out Loud: Real Life Drama in Grieving!    Grieving because of death, amputation, a disabling accident, divorce, disease, or emotional condition are all reasons for our bereavement.  Grieving can’t be sidestepped.  The time needed for recovery from our adversity and sorrow is always personal and unpredictable.  There cannot be a predetermined healing time.  …

Thinking Out Loud: An Ugly Gorilla Broke the Ice    When I became a hospice chaplain, I wasted no time getting stuffed animals (mostly teddy bears and beanie bears) into the arms of my patients. I had friends in the Tulsa area who would call me and ask, “Do you need any stuffed animals?” I always…

“Oklahoma” – Time for the “God’s Honest Truth”   OKLAHOMA CITY – For those of you who watch Ted Lasso, I promise no spoilers in this column. The Apple+ television show, for those of you who are not aware of the series, focuses three seasons on an American football coach who goes overseas to coach…

Enjoy your stuff, but be prepared to let it go Dr. Glenn Mollette   One of the perils of life is putting too much value on “stuff.” Stuff can be about anything. It can consist of what we have or what we don’t have. Much of life is about our stuff.  Our house, cars, things in…

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West: ‘Afghanistan will go down as the greatest debacle in United States military history’ by John Grimaldi WASHINGTON DC, MAY 26 — President Biden’s abrupt, mismanaged withdrawal from Afghanistan in September of 2021 — just eight months after he assumed the presidency — continues to have a dire, negative and dangerous impact…

Thinking Out Loud: Helpful or Unhelpful     Although it’s said there is no right or wrong way to grieve, I prefer to say that there are, in fact, helpful and unhelpful ways to grieve.  To transform grief we need to take action.  If we do nothing and expect the pain to diminish with time, we will…

Thinking Out Loud:  Accepting That Which We Cannot Change!    The major task of mourning the death of a loved one is acceptance.  That is, accepting the reality that the loved one is no longer with us and accepting the multiplicity of changes that are taking place in our lives due to the loss.  Resisting inevitable…

Thinking Out Loud:  Finding Inner Peace     Are you at the point in your grief work that you would like to have that tortuous pain go away?  Is it wearing you out, and you just know that you will never feel joy again?  Does it seem to persist, and each day returning with that same deep…

Recognizing Those Who Serve Others Rosalynn Carter says, “Without volunteers, we’d be a nation without a soul.” So as a nation, we celebrate volunteers this month. Volunteers are essential to the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program of Oklahoma. Ombudsman Volunteers are not just friendly visitors, they are trained to investigate complaints and resolve problems on…