My Dad's Secrets

Written by Gary E. Anderson


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My father understood those rules clearly. Dads worked hard and stayed employed, regardless of how menial or mundanerepparttar job. Dads spent time with their kids. But most importantly, dads offered glimpses into what it meant to be a man and a father—inrepparttar 110909 purest sense of both terms.

In what seems to me to be a smaller way than my dad, I walkrepparttar 110910 precarious tightrope that is "Dad" vs. "Me," always trying to maintain a balance betweenrepparttar 110911 two. And although my circumstances are very different,repparttar 110912 importance ofrepparttar 110913 task remains unchanged.

Like my father, I try to let my kids know how much I believe inrepparttar 110914 sanctity of this special time in their lives. By offering them my love and support, I hope to give themrepparttar 110915 gift my father gave me—the greatest gift a father can give, really—warm, gentle memories of their childhood. And no matter how difficult their lives may become later on, they’ll always be able to take comfort in those sweet memories, and no one can ever take that gift away.

So here's to my dad, to your dad, and to all dads—men who gave up or postponed their own dreams so that we might reach for ours. Men in whose footprints we tried to step as we struggled throughrepparttar 110916 deep snowdrifts of our childhood, marveling at how long a man's stride could be.

Gary Anderson is a freelance writer, editor, ghostwriter, and manuscript analyst, living on a small Iowa farm. He’s published more than 500 articles and four books. He’s also ghosted a dozen books, edited more than 30 full-length manuscripts, produced seven newsletters, and has done more than 800 manuscript reviews for various publishers around the nation. If you need writing or editing help, visit Gary’s website at www.abciowa.com.


I Can't Weight (One Man's Diet)

Written by Gary E. Anderson


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It’s amazing how one fact like learning how calories are measured can make so many other things fall into place. Based on that knowledge, one could offer an explanation for one ofrepparttar strangest mysteries affecting human beings -- spontaneous combustion. I’m willing to wager that if investigators carefully checkedrepparttar 110908 area next torepparttar 110909 easy chair whererepparttar 110910 victim had burst into flames, they'd find a half-eaten chocolate éclair or cream-filled doughnut. That last rush of calories was probably just what it took to send that poor person's body overrepparttar 110911 edge. The result? A pile of ash, and a half-eaten bear claw.

Based on my research, here’s my recommendation: I call it my "Don't Boil Over" diet. You can eat all you want, as long as it doesn’t contain enough calories to push your temperature above 212 degrees Fahrenheit. And be careful not to drink too much hot stuff while you’re eating, since you never know when you might be going too far. And one last caution: by all means, if you smell smoke, back off!

There you have it. Feel free to pass it on to your friends, especially those who’ve looked like they might be smoldering from time to time. Who knows? You just might be saving themrepparttar 110912 embarrassment of bursting into flames atrepparttar 110913 next church potluck.

© 2004. Gary E. Anderson. All rights reserved.

Gary Anderson is a freelance writer, editor, ghostwriter, and manuscript analyst, living on a small Iowa farm. He’s published more than 500 articles and four books. He’s also ghosted a dozen books, edited more than 30 full-length manuscripts, produced seven newsletters, and has done more than 800 manuscript reviews for various publishers around the nation. If you need writing or editing help, visit Gary’s website at www.abciowa.com.


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