Opinion

An old proverb says, “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” Innovation is in our DNA. Throughout the last three centuries, technology has gradually made life easier. In the West, people have a life expectancy of over seventy years. Just a couple hundred years ago, it was closer to 40. Unappreciated things, like wood-burning stoves and electricity, have made coping with the stresses of this world a little less cumbersome. We can relax and say “Aha” from time to time. 

It’s seasonal for most of us, of course. Our memories kick into overdrive, dredging up details of long-ago holidays.

In my case, Christmas Days of yore were as predictable as the sunrise. After “Santa gifts” were opened, we’d scurry across the county to Granny’s house (Pawpaw’s, too) for lunch and more gift openings with our extended family.

The Hydra was a serpent-beast in ancient Greek mythology. The monster possessed a remarkable regeneration superpower. When the head was removed, two more would grow back in its place, making the beast almost impossible to destroy. The legend claims that Hercules killed the Hydra by cutting off the heads as his partner cauterized the necks and prevented them from growing again. Even Hercules needed a little help. 

Ted Healy, the comic genius behind “The Three Stooges,” kissed his wife and three-day old baby goodnight on Dec. 20, 1937 and headed for his favorite Hollywood haunts to celebrate the birth of his first child.

The name on the future comedian’s birth certificate was “Ernest Lea Nash” or “Clarence Lee Nash.” No one seems to know for sure. But there is no doubt that it was issued in 1896 in the town of Kaufman east of Dallas.

I have never been a superstitious person---not until the recent Friday the Thirteenth.

Truth is, I’ve chuckled at others who won’t walk under ladders, change routes when black cats crossed their trails or wear the same unwashed “lucky” garments to extend sports victory strings.

Sad memories of my mid-morning calamity remain tender. But, tears dried, I am looking for an old telephone book. I’m thinking its yellow pages might list an organization for superstitious people. I’ll join ASAP…

On Dec. 31, the clock will strike twelve, and the ball will drop to signal another year has passed. Many will sing “Auld Lang Syne” to celebrate new opportunities for 2025, and another trip around the sun will begin. 

The expression “auld lang syne” is a Scottish phrase meaning “old times sake.” Robert Burns, the author, was capturing a moment where two old friends reflect on their journey through life. And when is the best time to do that? Apparently, the instant the new near rolls around and new challenges appear. 

Hugh Roy Cullen gave a luncheon at his Houston mansion Dec. 7, 1949 for Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. Taking the war hero aside, the Texas oilman echoed the sentiments of most Americans by urging Ike to run for president in 1952.

Self-taught prospector with a knack for squeezing black gold out of abandoned fields. Political maverick who fought the New Deal and broke with the Democratic Party. Folksy philanthropist whose generosity made the Rockefellers look like skinflints. That was Hugh Roy Cullen, a rich old coot with a heart of gold.

The song has been a staple in Christian hymnals for more than a century, underscoring deeply held beliefs. “The Way of the Cross Leads Home”--written in 1906--might be in the running for Christians’ national anthem if it ever came to a vote.

Until here lately, the “way” to Branson, Missouri, has not been quite so clear. Though highway routes to this Christian entertainment mecca are many--some of them picturesque--they can easily eat up the better part of a day for Texans driving there.

If I have learned anything from watching the Cowboys over the years, culture matters. In professional sports, there are fundamentally two cultures, winning and losing. There really is nothing in between. Either a team has a winning record or a losing one. 

When I was a boy, I liked to fish. Growing up in North Texas afforded me the privilege of having hundreds of small lakes, ponds and more significant bodies of water to cast a line. One of the mysteries for a growing boy involves figuring out how to catch that elusive bass. It still seems strange that two people can go fishing in the same boat, and one will capture his limit while the other catches nothing.