August 27, 2025

**Pamlico Sound Sunset — Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina**

What would be helpful, here, now?
I think honest conversation straight from the heart
means the most to me all of the time,
but it is not easy to come by.

Where would you go to find it?
It's mostly trite repetition where I live.
Yesterday and the day before replayed today.

Truth seems to be what everyone says is true
without much in the way of personal experience
or individual reflection evident anywhere at all ever.

Ask people what they know is true and trustworthy
out of their own experience and they will act like
they have never thought about it.

Truth is mostly hearsay.

The truth of our own life is difficult to talk about.
Too personal.
Too painful.
Better to stick with truisms and one-liners.
Or say nothing at all.

Published by jimwdollar

I'm retired, and still finding my way--but now, I don't have to pretend that I know what I'm doing. I retired after 40.5 years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, serving churches in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina. I graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Austin, Texas, and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. My wife, Judy, and I have three daughters, five granddaughters, one great granddaughter, and a great grandson on the way, within about ten minutes from where we live--and are enjoying our retirement as much as we have ever enjoyed anything. View more posts