OK, I’ll admit it. I’ve started reading the obituaries. I’ve always thought reading the obituaries was for old people looking to see if they knew anyone. I’m not old yet, nor am I looking to see if there’s anyone I know. I’m not even looking to see if I’m there (ha-ha). I’ve started reading the obituaries because they’re interesting and often very informative.

It’s hardly a revelation that positive role models and mentors are among the most important cogs in the wheel of early-childhood education. Educator Lydia Sigourney summarized the struggle in the 1800s. “In early childhood you may lay the foundation of poverty or riches, industry or idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which you train your children,“ she wrote. “Teach them right habits then, and their future life is safe.“

In the face of online competition and economic instability, newspapers—including this one—are hemorrhaging reporters. As we migrate to a plethora of Web portals designed to enable faster and more responsive communication, it’s easy to forget how much could be lost. In fact, we may lose an essential component of our democracy: public accountability. Without the social transcript provided by investigative reporting in particular, it will be much easier for us to be duped and exploited.

It’s no surprise to anyone who has tried to get medical insurance that the costs are just shocking. And for those of us who have insurance, I’m sure that you have noticed that our premiums have started to become an uncomfortably large part of our budgets. But we’re lucky—we have insurance. There are plenty of people out there who have no medical coverage and have lost everything because of medical bills.

My mother had a saying, common to her generation, that she taught me: “If you can’t think of anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.“ She pulled me up short more than once, leaning near to whisper this in my ear. It can be great fun, can’t it, being snide, sarcastic and negative? But such behavior creates unnecessary conflict and doesn’t contribute to civility in general.

Is the American educational system becoming increasingly segregated by passive social forces? A recent conference in Richmond about Massive Resistance brought this question to mind as it explored a time in Virginia history when many public schools were closed in reaction to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that ended legal segregation.

Building a house is a humbling task. Our dream started two years ago. Two meetings with the Board of Zoning Appeals, five architect design sessions, 12 hours picking out paint at the Mechanicsville Lowe’s, countless unnamed duties and hours of lost sleep have come down to just a few items left on the checklist. We are almost there.

Life affords many opportunities for multiple choices. Unfortunately, living life is an arduous task if the choices that you make lead to a life of incarceration. What comes next? The majority of offenders experience difficulty in terms of transitioning back into society. I recently attended a ceremony where an organization that’s focused on offender re-entry received a monetary award.

Acommunity provides a range of opportunities—a place to live, marry and raise a family, to have fun, to be creative and to make life more meaningful for others. Despite the challenges, tensions and seemingly unbridgeable divide among political camps, community is desirable. These opportunities for community connections are often challenging in our technology-driven society. Also, it is a fact: Communities are more diverse in terms of race, economics, politics and faith.

Recently, we have seen several examples of very public and profound negative behavior. Just in the past two weeks, people in the sports, entertainment and political arenas have demonstrated some bad choices in their actions. As a teacher and a parent, I have some concerns about the implications of these behaviors on young people. On the first day in my college classroom, I instructed my students on the importance of avoiding unacceptable behaviors in class—such as sleeping, eating, using a cell phone or BlackBerry, speaking out of turn and being disruptive. These are fundamental principles of behavior that enable a positive learning environment for all.

Igrew up in the city and county of Honolulu in Hawaii. We moved there from Chicago in 1954, several years before Hawaii achieved statehood. I was a keiki (little kid) so I certainly wasn’t thinking about the structure of my local government and how it affected my day-to-day life. After college, I followed a career path that took me to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Delaware and then on to the great commonwealth of Virginia. Yes, it was my choice. I actually pursued a job here to enable the relocation.

The script usually opens with the basics: “Great to see you! How are you? Where are you? Are you married? Kids? Job?“ The answers, naturally, vary with the respondent. But they are the opening for many a class reunion conversation. This summer was a “two-fer” for me on the reunion front. I had my 20th college reunion and my 24th high school reunion. For the latter, my class piggybacked on the 25th reunion of the class before it.

People are often surprised that I have a passion for cleaning. Long ago, I realized that I loved to clean. Cleaning produced a pristine environment and a tranquil and serene surrounding that created feelings of comfort and reminders of home, no matter the physical location. Developing this love of cleaning and taking pride in executing the tasks birthed a successful and profitable business. It almost seems like it happened with little effort, which is typical when one follows her passion.

With only two weeks before most schools start, the whines of “I’m bored” and “What can we do today?“ are echoing across the state. Many of my friends are counting the days until their backpack-carrying children return to school, resuming a more regular—if not hectic—pace. I’m not one of them. This fall, my oldest child will enter kindergarten, and while I’m looking forward to the new adventures that come with this milestone, I’m not ready for summer to end.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Born with a silver spoon in your mouth”? It means born to a life of financial privilege. I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth. Like many Americans, I did not receive any formal education on how to manage money. From cradle to college to corporate America, I did what most Americans do—I spent far more than I saved.