The Sentinel: Guest Commentary

Guest Commentary |
It's all around us, a world of ill words, deeds, rudeness and evil

Jesus was all powerful. He was God in the flesh. He could do anything.

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Pope Francis’ complete name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He was born in 1936. He served as Pope for 12 years, from March 13, 2013, until his passing on April 21, 2025. He was elected on the second day of the 2013 papal conclave and chose his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.

During the recent Holy week all the way through Easter. He was doing what he loved to do, serve God and help others. Even on his last day he was doing what he could for God and others. What an amazing legacy. He will be remembered for doing all he could, when he could.

There is a story in the Bible about a woman named Mary who anointed Jesus with an expensive fragrance. Her name was Mary and she had a brother named Lazarus whom Jesus brought back to life after being dead for four days.

They had a get-together to celebrate Lazarus’ second chance at life and her sister Martha prepared the meal. A short time later Jesus would he arrested, put through a mock trial and crucified. After three days he would overcome death and leave the tomb. Women would gather to anoint Jesus on that Sunday but would be met by an angel who would announce, “He is not here, he is risen.” The women would not have the opportunity to anoint Jesus. He was gone.

Back to Mary, Martha and Lazarus. If Mary had not anointed Jesus when she did, Jesus would never have been anointed. He actually said, “She has anointed my body for the burial.” Jesus knew what was coming. Mary had a special sensitivity about her that caused her to react in a special way. She knew she needed to act immediately and anoint Jesus while he was at the table eating because it might be her only opportunity and it was.

Mary will be grateful down throughout eternity that she didn’t delay doing something very special for Jesus.

We live in a world of ill words, deeds, rudeness and evil. It’s all around us.

We can learn something from Mary. When we have an impression to say a kind word or do a good deed we should do so. So often we never know when seeing someone might be the only or the last time, we will see them. Expressing a kind word, an affirmation, a compliment or however you might want to anoint the person would be a good thing to do. So often we miss our brief opportunities to demonstrate kindness, appreciation and love.

This is appropriate at all levels of life. We are never too big, too great or too important to say thank you or offer kind words to others.

Jesus was all powerful. He was God in the flesh. He could do anything. But what did he do? He laid aside his outer garment, girded himself with a towel and washed the feet of his disciples. Our Lord of all, was a servant of all even unto his death on the cross.

We live in a world of ill words, deeds, rudeness and evil. It’s all around us. The worst thing we can do is to become like those who act this way. It’s not always easy to rise above. If I had been Jesus, I’m sure I would have commanded the ground to open up and for the fires of hell to have consumed the mob that put me on the cross. That’s why he was able to do what he did for us. He was without sin but bore our sins on the cross.

If we can, let’s do what we can, while we can. Just one life, will not forever last, our opportunities soon will pass.

Pope Francis surely knew his time was close at hand and wanted to use his time doing what he felt God had appointed him to do.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Guest Commentary |
Riding the stock market roller coaster; don't jump

Now is not the time to faint or jump from the roller coaster. Who knows how the market will perform over the next few weeks.

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

You never undo your seat belt or jump from a moving roller coaster. Nor, should you when it comes to our current Stock market.

Eight years ago, if you bought a share of VOO or Vanguard S & P 500 ETF stock, you may have paid about $220 for the share. Today, as of this writing it’s worth $490.55. In other words, even with the fall of the stock market recently you have made good money on your investment. A couple of weeks back it was up to $560 which means you were flying high on your profit. Still yet, you have done well.

If you bought your share of VOO two weeks ago at $560 then you have lost $70, at least for now. You may lose some more but you have to hold tight. Don’t panic and sell now or you will have a loss. Ride it out and give the market time to settle down and rise again. If you have to cash in your stock then cash in while they are high.

Now may be a good time to buy but keep in mind the market may go down some more.

Don’t invest your grocery money in stock. This is the money you need every week for food, shelter, travel and overhead. This is not the money you spend on stock. If you do, then in two weeks you will have to sell your stock to eat and risk losing some of the money you invested. Only invest in stock what you don’t currently need for general living expenses.

Who knows how the market will perform over the next few weeks. It’s going to be a few weeks or months before the tariffs really shape up as to what is really what. The reports are that numerous countries are coming to the table interested in making deals and playing fair with the United States. This will be good for us and them. As these deals stabilize look for the stock market to become more stable once again. If Japan, India, South Korea, Canada and Mexico all level the playing field with the United States our stock market will level out. If there are more reports of industry manufacturing coming to the United States the stock market will begin to rise again.

Now may be a good time to buy but keep in mind the market may go down some more. If you bought VIG two weeks ago then you’ve already seen a significant drop. Keep in mind you only lose it if you sell it when the stock is down. I feel confident that the stock market will come back bigger and bolder than ever but it may take a few months or longer.

The stock market has averaged making about ten percent over the last fifty years. This means it has had years when it made more and years when it made less. An average of ten percent is about the best you can do on your money over the long haul.

Now is not the time to faint or jump from the roller coaster. Rely on your stable income such as Social Security, or any other stable income you may have. If you have a regular paying job you may want to stay with it a little while longer if you can and if you enjoy your work.

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Guest Commentary |
Tariffs, the goose, the gander and the American dream

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Let’s give the tariffs time to work. I’m as anxious as you are since everything I have is tied to the stock market. If the stock market dies, I will be working or starving the rest of my life. Let’s hope things settle down soon. I believe they will and will grow even bigger.

The tariffs make sense. If China charges us a 25% tariff, then it’s only fair that we charge them one. The same goes for Canada, Mexico, Vietnam and all the others. If they want to charge us 40% then it’s only fair that we charge them the same. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Higher prices will come for a while. Car dealerships have seen a lot more people trying to make their deals before all the tariffs are tacked onto the prices.

People are worried about buying cheap stuff from China at Walmart or any other country. I honestly don’t want stuff from China. If China never ships another thing here it wouldn’t bother me. Sadly, everything I own today is, in some way, likely tied to a foreign country.

When I was a kid, I had a transistor radio made in Hong Kong. I thought it was funny to have such an item made from so far away. Throughout the years it became the norm. Cars, televisions, furniture, appliances and steel started coming from other places. Sadly, our American manufacturers were moving to Mexico, or any country on the planet where they could find slave labor. This turned into big profit for them because they shipped the goods cheaply back to the United States and made big profits.

We need jobs to come back to America.

The problem was that those jobs were forever lost in America. The American workers had to go out and find jobs at Walmart and Starbucks making $10 an hour which today is more like $15 to $18. They had been used to making $35 or $40 an hour before their job moved out of America.

People are crying today about what might happen to the prices at Walmart. Unfortunately, that’s all Americans can afford today is Walmart. Americans are so poor that we have to rely on Dollar General Store or Walmart.

Back in the fifties, sixties and even seventies people could go to one of the big cities in their state and find a good paying manufacturing job. There were lots of jobs. We made a lot of cars, televisions, radios, clothes, furniture, steel, lumber, and had coal mining and much more. These people made enough money to buy a house, buy two cars, buy food, raise their kids and have a real retirement after working 30 years. That was called the American dream.

Today the American dream is applying for disabled Social Security and then praying that you can afford to go to Walmart. Don’t even think about buying a new car, a new house or taking a vacation because on today’s income it is not going to happen.

Let’s try to keep breathing and see how these tariffs play out. We need jobs to come back to America. We need our own companies to come home. We need to buy our own American steel and make things here once again. If other countries will come to America and build their products here and hire our people that will be a good thing.

Just maybe, in a few years, once again, people in America will dream again.

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Guest Commentary |
Go have a good day

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

A Catholic Priest, A Jewish Rabbi and a Baptist minister were discussing the beginning of life.

The Priest said, “Life begins at conception. The Rabbi said he believe at birth. The Baptist minister thought for a minute and said, “I believe life begins when the last child leaves home and the dog dies.”

While there are different opinions about when life begins, what is the answer to the question, “When does life end?” Most of us would agree when we breath our last breath is when it’s over for us. However, too often the ending of life is even more grim than us fighting for a breath of air and then we are nothing but a body of flesh and bone for some else to dispose.

Too often life for many ends months or maybe even years before our final physical moment. Actually, possibly it has already happened to you and you haven’t even realized that you are already dead. You died and you didn’t even know it. You’ve been starring at your television, scrolling through social media and maybe even walking around the aisle of the grocery store just as dead as old King Tut, but not physically, just mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

It happens to the best of people. You lose all interest in life. You have nothing that you look forward to. There is nothing you particularly want to do. No place you really want to go and nobody you want to be around. You’re dying, because you’ve given up.

There are several scenarios that can bring us to this motionless zombie stage of life. Losing a spouse, losing a job, losing a child, a business failure, financial failure, a major sickness or just outliving all your family and your friends. Too often people detach themselves from everyone or anything going on which limits their activity and interest even more.

No doubt crippling disease changers our personalities and our interests. Battling cancer, diabetes, a neurological disease or take your pick of many more, changes our attitude about wanting to be out and about and doing what we use to do. Going to church, the local Kiwanis

Meeting, or singing in the community choir may not have the same appeal.

Regardless of what you or a loved one has going on it’s well to take notice of this stage of life and not be too hard on your friend or yourself. Here is what you must try:

1. Keep moving. Move whatever you can. Even if you are wheel chair bound, move your mind and whatever part of your body that you can move.

2. Keep doing. Do something. Read, pray, exercise, go to church, walk. Clean your house. Work a job, mentor people. Be a friend to others. Use your imagination.

3. Keep trying. As long as you can breathe, don’t quit.

4. Have something to look forward to. This can be anything. Someone’s birthday. A trip to the store. Moving the yard. A family gathering. A weekend trip, a movie, church, it can be most anything.

5. Enjoy whatever you do. Laugh and have a good time.

The only person who can keep you down is yourself. Your number one obstacle is usually yourself. If we can overcome what we mentally put ourselves through then we have a good chance of a good day. A good thought to add here, is the scripture, “If God be for us who can be against us?” Romans 8:21 Another one is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Now, go and have a good day!

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Guest Commentary
Is the Ukraine Deal, really a deal?

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

America has given Ukraine a lot of money. Does anyone really know how much?

President Trump recently said $350 billion while other sources say we have spent less than $200 billion. A billion dollars is a billion dollars. Hundreds of billions of dollars mean Americans across our country are being taxed hard earned dollars to send to another country for the purpose of financially underwriting their war.

The Beatles sang, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” but apparently you can buy some fake friends for a while. When the money ceases then the love and friendship you bought speedily goes away.

If we don’t write big checks to countries like Ukraine then they get mad really quick and for some reason, we become the bad guys. What happens when we totally run out of money? Our national debt is $36 trillion dollars. Who will rescue us when we go bankrupt and there is no Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid? No one will come to save us.

Approximately 58,220 Americans were killed in the Vietnam war. This number includes battle and non-battle related deaths. The Vietnam war cost around $111 billion in 1968 dollars, equivalent to approximately $800 billion in today’s dollars. The war lasted about 15 years. What does our country have to show for $800 billion and almost 60,000 lives? A lot of graves and a lot of Veterans with PTSD.

The war in Afghanistan cost America approximately $2,313 trillion dollars from 2001 to 2022. This includes money we spent in Afghanistan and Pakistan but does not account for the cost of lifetime care for veterans. Some estimates suggest the total cost could be higher ranging from $4 to $6 trillion when including long-term medical care and disability compensation. Plus, we spent over $68 million on a second runway at Bagram airfield in 2006 making it the best and strongest runway in that part of the world.

In the 1960s, we built the Kandahar International Airport which cost us over $15 million dollars. Who are the people using these airports today? A lot of Americans have suffered to pay big taxes bills while our government plays Santa Claus.

It’s a great idea to ask Ukraine to pay back the billions we have given to them. The idea of America having access to their land and vast resource of minerals sounds appealing.

Financially, it sounds like it would be worth mega billions and would supply us with badly needed resources. However, how many roads and bridges will we have to build?

How big will our military presence have to become to protect American citizens who will go to work the land? A military presence in Afghanistan could only mean the possibility of altercations with Russia’s army which would escalate into America becoming head and shoulders into a full scale war with Russia.

Putin can’t be trusted as far as you can throw the car sitting in your driveway. A growing presence in Ukraine by America will eventually mean fighting to protect our interests in that country. Such a land deal with Ukraine sounds like a good deal but has the potential of becoming a very bad deal.

Unfortunately, after last week’s oval office disaster between Zelenskyy, President Trump and Vice-President Vance there may never be a deal.

If Russia eventually topples Ukraine, Putin won’t be making any deals, paying anyone anything back and we may be buying our bread from him.

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Does the grocery store scare you? Does Washington even care?

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Does the grocery store scare you? What about buying eggs? Do you dread driving to Walmart? Do you remember a day when it was fun?

I remember the old days of going to my Grandfather Hinkle’s grocery store in old Stidham, Kentucky. Today, that would be South Milo Road in Tomahawk, Kentucky. I could buy a Pepsi Cola or Dr. Pepper for eight cents. A candy bar was a nickel. An ice cream drumstick was a dime. A bag of chips or a pastry cake was a nickel or a dime. You could buy a lot for a quarter. When I was in elementary school, if I had a quarter, I could buy quite a bit at Fred Mills grocery store which was located next door to the Tomahawk school. I could buy a coke, a bag of chips and a French pastry cake. I sold Grit newspapers when I was a kid and I could make $1 a week. That gave me four quarters. My dad also worked really hard in an underground coal mine.

Those were the days my friend. We thought they would never end, but they did a long time ago. Today it would take about five dollars to buy what I bought back then with a quarter. I guess I must be old now, but I don’t have to guess about the high cost of groceries.

Groceries are expensive and people are sick and tired of worrying if they will be able to buy enough food to get through the month. There is too much food shortage in America. This means that people have trouble buying enough food to get through the month. This is why there are non-profit food pantries all over America. Many of these pantries are delivering truckloads of food to communities and hundreds of people line up for a sack of groceries. Ten years ago, it cost $1000 to sponsor such a project but today it’s closer to $3500 and growing.

In 2024, the average American spends around $418.44 per month on groceries, but the cost varies depending on location, household size, and personal habits.

Factors that affect grocery costs according to USA Today.

Location: Groceries cost more in some states and cities than others. For example, Honolulu, Hawaii has the highest cost of groceries in the US.
Household size: The number of people in a household affects how much they spend on groceries.
Income: Households with higher incomes spend more on food, but it represents a smaller percentage of their income.
Eating habits: Personal preferences impact how much is spent on food.
Shopping habits: Buying in bulk or choosing generic brands can help save money.

How to save on groceries? Create a budget, Stick to a shopping list, Buy in bulk, and Choose generic brands.

While Americans do all we can to stretch our dollars and shop wisely we ask our state and federal elected leaders to help us all they can. But, do they have the ability to understand? Many of our Congress leaders are multi-millionaires. They probably haven’t noticed much when going to the store. Senator Mitch McConnell’s net worth was reported at $34 million in 2024, Nancy Pelosi’s net worth was $120 million in 2024. Richard Blumenthal’s net worth was over $100 million in 2024, Dianne Feinstein, senator from California has a reported net worth of over $110 million. Marco Rubio’s net worth was $85 million in 2024. The list goes on. As reported often, our President is a billionaire.

Unfortunately, many Americans’ grocery lists are getting shorter because there is only so much a family can afford.

Does anybody in Washington have the ability to care?

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Guest Commentary |
Love anoints others

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Valentine’s Day is almost here and how many valentines will you have? In elementary school we traded Valentine cards. We actually had a big box and we stuffed it full of valentine cards to our classmates. If we received 20 or 30 valentine cards then we felt good because we had a lot of valentines.

Glenn Mollette

You may or may not receive many cards this year if any at all. Nice cards are expensive as are flowers, candy and dinners. Whether you receive a Valentine card or not doesn’t determine the number of people in your life you care about or who care about you.

Some people may determine their self-worth by how many friends they have on social media. Are they really your friends? Possibly you go to church with a lot of people you care about and who care about you. Maybe you still have several family members you are close to and who love you and you love them.

We have so much hate in the world. Political parties are filled with hate. Many Democrats hate President Donald Trump. Many Republicans hate former President Joe Biden. Some Republicans and Democrats hate each other. Some people hate Elon Musk. Some people hate or love the Philadelphia Eagles.

People hate former husbands, wives, girlfriends and boyfriends.

Hate is obvious in the world. In many of our major cities there is a murder every day. Too often more than one.

What does hate accomplish? It’s a very negative emotion that has negative results. Someone often gets hurt where hate is involved. Hate hurts the hater. Hate does not create a spring of well-being and joy. Hate cuts deep within us and your body doesn’t’ react positively to this long-term dark emotion.

There is a line of demarcation. The Jewish people who had loved ones raped and murdered by Hamas don’t feel loving toward Hamas. The citizens of Ukraine don’t feel loving toward Putin and Russia. We surely understand their feelings.

Yet, somehow and some way in this life we have to find a way to rise above and to soar higher. It’s not always easy to love, but love covers a multitude of sins.

I don’t know how Jesus could love me. All my sins put him on the cross. Yet, over and over again, the Bible tells me that God loves me and for what reason? I have done nothing to deserve his love.

Try to show and tell more people you love them. Call some people this week and tell them you love them. Tell some Democrats and Republicans you love them. Tell some sinners you love them. You never know, some of the love you give just might come back to you.

When Mary anointed Jesus in the Bible, the entire house could smell the perfume. Jesus had the perfume all over him, but Mary also had the perfume all over her. Love anoints others but often we end up anointed as much as the ones to whom we extended love.

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Commentary |
Anti-Immigrant legislation doesn’t serve anyone but prison contractors

by Sulma Arias

OtherWords

The Laken Riley Act is an assault on due process, undermining all of our rights to make for-profit prison CEOs richer.

You’re reading the words of a formerly undocumented immigrant.

When I fled El Salvador four decades ago, I was 12 years old and alone. I was escaping the country’s civil war, where U.S.-backed death squads had made murders and rape our daily reality.

I reunited with my sisters, my only surviving family, in Wichita, Kansas. Once there, I helped open churches, started businesses, and raised three daughters. There were times I wasn’t sure we’d make it to the end of the month, but I was grateful for the sense of peace and security we were able to create here.

That’s why I’m so alarmed that the new Republican-led Congress has chosen to open with a bill, H.R. 29, that strikes fear in the hearts of immigrant families all across the country. This bill would strip judges of discretion and require immigrants to be detained and subject to deportation if they’re accused — not even convicted — of even minor offenses like shoplifting.

This major assault on due process won’t keep anyone safer. It would terrorize all immigrants in this country, who studies show are much less likely to commit crimes of any kind than native-born Americans.

So who benefits from H.R. 29? Private prison corporations like CoreCivic and GEO Group, who made a fortune during the last Trump administration by running private prisons for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

CoreCivic and GEO kept immigrants and asylum seekers in inhumane and toxic conditions with poor hygiene and exposed women and children to sexual predators. Under this new law, cynical executives will siphon off more public dollars, and wealthy investors will reap more rewards, from abusing and demonizing people seeking refuge from violence or poverty.

When Trump won, private prison stocks soared. Why? Because investors anticipated making a fortune detaining immigrants. More than 90 percent of migrants detained by ICE end up in for-profit facilities.

GEO Group, which maxed out its campaign contributions to Trump, told its investors they could make almost $400 million per year supporting “future needs for ICE and the federal government” in a second Trump term. Their stock price nearly doubled in November.

Whether those detained are guilty or not, CoreCivic and GEO get paid. That’s what H.R. 29 is for: advancing corporate greed, not protecting Americans.

We all have a stake in stopping private prison corporations from becoming more powerful, regardless of our language, race, gender, or community. In addition to jailing immigrants, for-profit prison companies also look for ways to put citizens in prison more often — and for longer — so they can make more money.

Whenever we allow fundamental rights to be taken away, we erode our shared humanity and diminish all of our rights and freedoms.

The people behind H.R. 29 want us to be afraid of each other so we won’t stand together. They want to be able to barge into our homes, schools, and churches to take our neighbors and loved ones away. They want workers to be too scared to stand up to their bosses’ abuse. All so their donors in the private prison industry can make more money.

Democrats will need to find their way in this new Congress. Falling in line behind nativist fear-mongers who take millions in campaign contributions from the private-prison industry is not the right way to do it.

Americans demand better. We want true leadership with an affirmative vision for the future of this country and dignity for all people, including immigrants.

H.R. 29 targets whole communities because of the language we speak and the color of our skin. Instead, our elected leaders, regardless of party, must work to address people’s needs through building an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.

Sulma Arias is executive director of People’s Action, the nation’s largest network of grassroots power-building groups, with more than a million members in 30 states. This op-ed was adapted from OurFuture.org and distributed for syndication by OtherWords.org.

Guest Commentary |
January: Be prepared, drink hot chocolate and rest

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

January always brings snow and ice unless you live in the most southern part of the United States. Even then, you aren’t guaranteed to escape January without some harsh weather.

Glenn Mollette

This current mess that came from the west has piled about eight inches of snow and ice on us. Keeping us inside for a couple of days. So far, we’ve only been without power for one hour, but many others have not been as fortunate.

The best we can do is prepare and hunker down. We need alternative lighting and heat sources. You can almost count on the power to go out sometime in January. Especially if you aren’t prepared. It’s better to be over prepared and not need it than to be underprepared and in danger of freezing to death.

Accidents and hard times can come suddenly and painfully. These are the things in life that come at us suddenly and out of nowhere.

This seems to be one of the golden rules of life. Be prepared. We spend our lives studying and thinking about being prepared. School and education are about learning, developing and training. We study for knowledge but also to be prepared. We try to save money so that we might be prepared for the time when we aren’t able to make any more. The team than wins the game is the team who works hard to prepare mentally and physically.

Every aspect of life is about preparing. The musician, athlete, actor, politician, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, homemaker, and so forth must have a rigid daily routine to experience success.

One reality of life is that there is much for which we can’t prepare.

We hear about cancer but we are never prepared for such a diagnosis. We aren’t prepared for breaking a bone but then we are suddenly faced with months of recuperation. Accidents and hard times can come suddenly and painfully. These are the things in life that come at us suddenly and out of nowhere. Although they are painful, we have no choice but to face the agony of whatever it is and try to work through it one day at a time.

We prepare for life and we should prepare for death. As long as we live, we have all that comes with life. What about death? We must be prepared for that as well. There are funeral plans we need to make, but most importantly, our eternal plans must be made. Where do you want to spend eternity? Consider, when it comes to the end of our lives and meeting God face to face. Look to him today and prepare your heart and mind. Embrace His gift to us in His son Jesus.

January won’t last forever and there is much excitement in January such as college basketball, NFL playoffs, my birthday if I live, the swearing in of our new President, a raise in Social Security, and many occasions to drink hot chocolate. Don’t miss the hot chocolate and don’t miss the opportunity to take some time for a few naps on these snowy days. God surely gave us January to hibernate a little and rest after the hectic holidays.

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Guest Commentary |
Transitioning Into 2025

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

A new year is transition. The date changes. Some of us will mess up writing a check a time or two because we’ll write 2024 until it finally sinks in that we are in a new year.

The new year means change. It always has and this year will not be any different. We will see a changing of the guard in our Presidency. President Biden is exiting after an unbelievable 50 or so years in national politics. President Trump is coming back and he has done what no other human has done before.

I’m not simply referring rot being elected a second time after sitting out a term because that has happened. What I mean is no one has been vilified and harassed as he has been and even survived let alone ascend to the highest office in the world. January will bring immediate change upon his inauguration. However, it remains to be seen what will change and what won’t.

Life is always transitioning but we sometimes have difficulty making the transition. Some men never get over their high school sports career. They live in the past of the time when they were star athletes, but that may have. been 20 – 40 years ago. We often have great difficulty overcoming a failed relationship or marriage. It happened ten years ago but the impact of it still troubles us. We often still grieve over the loss of a loved one who died 20 years ago.

We still miss them and the joy they brought into our lives. We often cannot transition from our jobs or careers. We remember those 20 to 40 years that we worked a certain job or business. We look back to those days often as great days that we would like to go back to.

It's not easy to transition., The college freshman often misses their senior year of high school. Even as adults we remember those wonderful wasted days of childhood. The 35-year-old misses their teen years, the 80-year-old would like to bra fifty again.

Often, we dread birthdays. The actual birthdate brings a new number. The 15-year-old loves that 16 number because it means freedom to drive. The 64-year-old anticipates 65 and Medicare and the Social Security check soon to come.

Our hope must be to transition as well as we can because transition is coming for us all.

Glen Mollett is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.