Without grace, our public discourse will continue to suffer.

My new puppy entered the world on Christmas and he’s already bringing incredible joy into my family — just as many dogs, cats and other bundles of joy are doing for millions during these unusual times.

The older I get, the more I am turning into my father.

We got blanketed with 10 inches of snow last week and I loved it — because I love how snow slows us down and brings us to our senses.

Sorry, COVID-19, but you’re not going to stop our Christmas cheer this year.

As challenging a year as 2020 has been, we still should be thankful that it has been the best year in human history to be alive.

“It’s a miracle!” said the doctor. “You’ve just awakened from a coma after a terrible accident in October 2016, but you’re doing well, all things considered!”

It’s calm as I write this the day before the 2020 general election. I hope and pray that the outcome, whatever it may be, is accepted calmly – though I worry it may not be.

Halloween is a huge letdown this year. I love modern Halloween traditions. I love the sweet smell of autumn, the chilly air and the camaraderie of friends around a roaring campfire. I love hayrides, Honeycrisp apples and the clever, hilarious costumes my left-brained accountant and engineer friends come up with. Why do CPAs always create the wittiest costumes?

Become an employee with full paid benefits, or remain a mostly independent gig worker? That debate’s raging in California as November’s general election approaches, and its outcome is likely to affect the entire country.

San Francisco residents will vote on a measure in November to allow teenagers as young as 16 to vote in local elections.

I hope we get it right. Data collection for the 2020 U.S. Census ends soon.

American home ownership is soaring, which is good for all of us. Home sales slowed during the early months of COVID-19, as millions of Americans stayed inside. In the past few months, however...

Good grief: Apparently, America has yet to move past the anger phase regarding COVID-19. In 1969, you see, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross described five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

I’m getting a whole-house attic fan installed this week — just like the one my father had installed in my childhood home — and I cannot wait to cool my house using his old-time methods.

Pope Francis couldn’t have said it better. During Monday’s Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, he told the crowd not to toss out older family members like “discarded material.”

Here’s one good thing about the COVID-19 pandemic: Bike sales are booming. I hope that means kids will begin riding in big numbers again.

My father’s mission was to tame the stupidity out of me - a powerful blessing too few children are experiencing now.

It was a perfect late-spring Saturday. Several members of my large extended family gathered at my parents’ house to trim hedges and plant flowers. The sun was out, the skies were brilliant blue and the temperature was perfect for yardwork.

The murder hornets don’t stand a chance. We’re still amid a pandemic that has dragged on way too long, producing far too many bizarre, exaggerated doomsday scenarios on social media.

I hope you’re doing well. I miss seeing you and my classmates at school every day, but homeschooling is working out well for me.

In the outside world, the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting our divisions. Inside the Little Sisters of the Poor retirement residence in Pittsburgh, it’s revealing the power of grace and humility

I used to enjoy mowing the lawn. Now it agitates the heck out of me.

COVID-19 has millions working from home. As a longtime teleworker, let me offer some advice. Working from home has many upsides: no traffic jams, office politics or need for business attire. But a month-plus into this pandemic, many are realizing teleworking’s downsides.

When I was a junior at Penn State, I had a front-row seat when legendary singer-songwriter John Prine performed on campus.

Get this: New parents are giving newborns outlandish names — so they’ll stand out on social media.

Maybe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is bringing me down — or not.

When my childhood home got a phone call, it was an event.

Have I benefited from nepotism and cronyism? Sure. But at least I feel guilty about it.

I indulge more deeply in Christmas nostalgia with every passing year, but it turns out that doing so is a good thing.

What’s the best gift you ever received? Whatever it was, it surely wasn’t a material item bought in a store.

I don’t blame millennials and Gen Z for mocking baby boomers with the trending “OK boomer” meme. I’ve had my issues with baby boomers, too.

America could use a good food fight this Thanksgiving. Every day in our country, factions grow and battle lines harden. Americans are spending more time with like-minded people, their “tribes,” and less with people holding differing viewpoints, those “Neanderthals hell-bent on destroying the country.”

Everything is offensive now — even Halloween.

I’m on the fence about this, if you want the truth. You see, more school districts are banning childhood games that were staples when I was growing up in the 1970s.

Autumn has arrived. I can’t think of a better time to put priorities back in order.

Tom Hanks is right: We should be allowed to start off our days feeling good. Hanks stars as Fred “Mister” Rogers in the movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” opening Nov. 22.

When my retired professor friend told me about it, my alarm bells went off.

An invasion from outer space might do America some good. And maybe one’s coming?

“Sometimes I worry that if I ever can retire and do get Social Security payments, they’ll be a lot less than what I’ve been promised,” I said to my CPA, Louie the Number Cruncher.

Here’s some great news: The American entrepreneur is flourishing again. From 1980 until 2017, “the number of new startups formed each year ... plummeted by half - from almost 15% of all business 35 years ago to barely 8%,” according to Forbes contributor David Pridham.

“I can’t take it anymore! My social media friends are driving me batty!” “Ah, yes, you speak of a recent Pew Research Center survey that found ‘46% of adult social media users say they feel ‘worn out by political posts and discussions they see on social media’ — a share that ‘has risen 9 percentage points since the summer of 2016, when the Center last asked this question.’”

Twelve years ago, when I first visited the Little Sisters of the Poor (LSP) retirement home in Pittsburgh, I was overcome with peace and calm.

A phone scammer made a mistake when he called my mother. The young male caller pretended to be her grandson. He said he’d been arrested for fishing on an Indian reservation - unaware he was breaking the law - and needed bail money so a judge wouldn’t throw him in jail.

We could use a hearty dose of Robert Fulghum wisdom about now. Our political discourse is at a fever pitch. Our allegedly esteemed elected leaders are carrying on like unruly children – shouting and pouting and becoming increasingly strident with their political opponents.

Despite the accusations, I deny that I carry a man purse. According to the New York Post, the man purse, or “murse,” is the “new must-have accessory taking over designers’ spring 2020 men’s runways.”

Why do I want more Americans to buy homes? Because misery loves company.

Here’s the worst part: He had every opportunity to choose life.

Breaking news: Federal spending is out of control.

America’s declining birthrate has given me pause.

Like most people, I didn’t think much about my Social Security number - until I got a bizarre call from a total stranger.

With your military service complete, you’re eager to return home and get on with life in the private sector.

I hope to be just like my mother one day.

This Thursday is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, the one day every year when young people can learn — in person — about the work world of their parents or mentor.

Boy, do I feel sorry for Lori Loughlin’s daughters.

Spring has finally arrived in all its glory.

My Uncle Jimmy would’ve hated the late-model SUV I rented for a recent trip to New Jersey. I sure did.

Just as my annual diet has begun showing promise, my greatest obstacle to success is upon me: Girl Scout Cookie season has begun.

We’ll celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and legacy next week. In these angry and divisive times, we all could benefit by reminding ourselves of his words’ truth, civility and wisdom.

Much like small-town doctors years ago, he isn’t paid by a third-party insurance firm. He’s paid by me, directly, at a reasonable $115 monthly.