Tales by Tom

Welcome to the fourth instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "A Man of Letters." The stories in this collection are all in the form of letters or about letters. We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Story 5 Effective Leadership in Seven Easy Lessons. 

I had this conversation with my two eldest sons two years ago. Now, two Sundays ago, the esteemed New York Times has a list of five from a book review. Imagine!  At any rate, enjoy the ideas and DO try these at home.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the second instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "A Man of Letters." The stories in this collection are all in the form of letters or about letters. We have a two stories this week that I think you will enjoy!

Story Three: A Book Came in the Mail

When filling out a thin, diary type book that came from my grandchildren in Kansas, I didn’t know exactly where to start. And where would I stop? So, I answered the questions, using more space than allowed. And when the little book asked me for my favorite photograph, where should I go for that one? In a 70+ year lifetime, I should pick one? But in the end, I did ---damn tough, though. Sum up a lifetime in one book? I added a few pages and gave it a go.

Intro for 4th story: A Fable, an Allegory or a Parable

Whatever you might call this little story, I think you’ll find the message could be life-shaping.  The lesson I learned from it has been with me ever since that otherwise uneventful afternoon.  Do try this at home!

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the second instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "A Man of Letters." The stories in this collection are all in the form of letters or about letters. We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Story Two: The Doctor’s First Toolkit.

Some doctors take advantage of all the tools offered them in the beginning of their career. Others, long at their job, fall away from opportunities when presented to them and are lulled into mediocrity. I didn’t care for that as a patient and reacted to this “experienced” doctor the only way I knew how. He never got it.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the first instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "A Man of Letters." The stories in this collection are all in the form of letters or about letters. We have a bit of an introduction and a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Story One: Memorial for a Dead Man.

Fours coeds were killed in a freak accident, and eight were seriously injured. No charges were ever filed, but there was enough blame to go around, mostly in one direction. A monument to the coeds was erected along the highway where they were killed, none for the truck driver who never had another blameless day as long as he lived. And it wasn’t long enough

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the fifteenth  instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "Stories I Tell on Myself."  We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Watercolor:  It’s a resort in Florida where we now spend our Christmas at Thanksgiving. In 2010, we had a crowd of 31 people for the weeklong event. Fun, Fun, Fun. Listen to what we’ve done over the years, especially 2009. May we never have a repeat of that. Ever.

Oh, the Places I’ve Lived: The number is staggering. I’ve laid my head in 35 places over the years, places I have spent at least three months. And I have never been in the military. When asked, at a cocktail party recently, which place I’d go back to, I answered the only way I could. What would you say? The epilogue has to do with Godless errors I have made along the way (mentioned in the last story) and what I can do about them.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the fourteenth instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "Stories I Tell on Myself."  We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

On the Road of Life: Cars play an important role in all our lives. They entered my life, as an owned product, in 1956. My last episode ---I’d call it a misdirection --- happened 50 years later. See? Nothing since then!!! May the gods of the tar and asphalt continue to protect me ---and you, as well. And those coming the opposite direction, too.

Fear:  First, at 14 years of age, I was afraid for my physical life. At 49, I was afraid for my financial life. One I could control and did; one all I could do was wait and see what the gods had in store for me. Was that better or worse. Put yourself in my shoes in both contexts. How clear both “events” seem today.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the thirteenth instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "Stories I Tell on Myself."  We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Forms Can Ask the Funniest Things: This story gives you an idea (a small one, at that) of what I do 30 hours a week --- and why, in the repetitive nature of those hours, something like these tidbits are so funny. The story is barely a page long ---I say the words and then it’s over --- so you might have to listen twice. I hope you laugh. I did ---not only when these forms appeared before me, but later when I wrote what you will hear.

It Was a Ball: When is a Ball not a ball? The answer is simple: When the Ball lasts far into the night, long beyond the last dance, and into the frozen night. A guy named Woodie plays a major role in this event, and I promise he has no relationship with Tom Hank’s part in Toy Story 1 or 2 or 3.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the twelfth instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "Stories I Tell on Myself."  We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Story 18 is entitled My Life in the Church --- several of them as it turned out. My journey has taught me many things…what to believe for one thing. Have faith in God, I have always said, but with years has come another realization that above all HE has faith in you. It is a brief story with lots of lingering after thoughts

Story 19 is entitled Oh, the places you’ll go if you think you can. Thanks to Dr Seuss for the title, for sure. The story tells of an interview I had with my two oldest sons before a speech I gave at LSU in 1984. I asked them the same questions 26 years later. Listen to how their answers changed ---or didn’t. then listen to the two books I think every graduating college senior should have in their library.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the eleventh instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "Stories I Tell on Myself."  We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Story 14, 15, 16 and 17 are a group of stories that explain, from an ancestral viewpoint, how Jackie came to be on that hotel balcony that night in L.A. (from the mid-1700s) when I proposed to her without a first kiss; it explains how I came to be there (from 1754); it tells you what happened on the balcony (October 1976) and how I found out in 1994 that we were related BEFORE I asked her the little questions. Yes, you heard right. And tell me God doesn’t have a plan for us all!! It is a real love story.

I also provide an interlude with a collection called “Just for a Change in Pace” --- they are one to three line love poems I wrote to her over the years that separate each of the four stories. Great Valentine thoughts ---but for me they were year-round. So, get yourself a glass of wine, relax, listen to the poems and let your mind go to places where only you can go.

Then listen to the four parts with poems in the middle entitled Myron Had it Right.  We continue with part 4 today.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.

Welcome to the tenth instalment of my short story collection I have titled, "Stories I Tell on Myself."  We have a single story this week that I think you will enjoy!

Story 14, 15, 16 and 17 are a group of stories that explain, from an ancestral viewpoint, how Jackie came to be on that hotel balcony that night in L.A. (from the mid-1700s) when I proposed to her without a first kiss; it explains how I came to be there (from 1754); it tells you what happened on the balcony (October 1976) and how I found out in 1994 that we were related BEFORE I asked her the little questions. Yes, you heard right. And tell me God doesn’t have a plan for us all!! It is a real love story. 

I also provide an interlude with a collection called “Just for a Change in Pace” --- they are one to three line love poems I wrote to her over the years that separate each of the four stories. Great Valentine thoughts ---but for me they were year-round. So, get yourself a glass of wine, relax, listen to the poems and let your mind go to places where only you can go.

Then listen to the four parts with poems in the middle entitled Myron Had it Right You’ll meet Myron in the second part.  We continue with part 3, story 16 today.

I encourage you to provide feedback on this story or any of the earlier shorts by email at [email protected] or by voicemail at 1 206 339 5456.