The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Like every holiday season, it was hectic and draining this year. Many presents were opened. A lot of food was eaten. A number of people called for the family to do shots. Movies and football were watched. Music was played. Laughs were had. There was one moment, however, which stood out from the rest this past Christmas season. A family member of mine had alienated himself from the rest of the family for the past 10-15 years. I hadn't seen this individual for roughly 8 or 9 years. After hearing about an awful accident this person was involved in, I wondered to myself if we'd ever see each other and interact again. I thought, "Was it really worth it? The grudge(s) which prevented you from spending time with the family?" That's one thing that's always struck me about grudges. None of us know full well when our time will come in this life, so if tragedy strikes either us or an individual to whom we've given the silent treatment for years, how much regret wi...

Have you ever known of a husband and a wife whom never cheated on one another, never abused one another, yet after a while, couldn't stand each other, to the point of divorcing? Republican Iowa State Representative Ted Grassman wants to make that illegal. Unless a person could prove his or her spouse had committed some kind of a crime, had committed adultery, or had abandoned the family, it'd be illegal for that person to successfully file for divorce. With regard to wanting to make "no-fault divorce" illegal, Grassman said the following: "This basically is an attempt on my part to keep fathers in the home. I sincerely believe that the family is the foundation of this nation and this nation will go the direction of our families. If our families break up, so will this nation." He then got personal when he talked about his daughter and son-in-law recently divorcing and the effect it will have on his granddaughter, saying: "There's a 16-year ol...