Hello from our office and home in North Georgia near the foothills of the lower Appalachian Mountains and within a few miles of the first gold strike in the United States. As I write this blog it is 78 degrees here and a new weather record. But, I suspect that winter may return for one more time this year.

What, if anything, have you been reading in the past couple of years? If you don’t read, in my opinion, you are making a big mistake. We should never discontinue learning and I don’t know of a better method of learning than by reading. With that said I always encourage people to read. Frankly, I can’t think of many people who work more than I do and are busier than I am. I’m not sounding humble but many people would testify to my last statement. However, I do take the time to read.

Currently, I am reading ”Fire and Fury, Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff which I’ve nearly completed. My next book will be “Stand With Israel Friends of Zion” by Mike Evans. Just a few of the books I’ve read in the past year or two and can recommend are “The Next 100 Years, A Forecast for the 21 st Century” by George Friedman, “Undaunted Courage” by Stephen E. Ambrose, “Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power” by Jon Meacham and “Killing England” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. I read scripture from the Holy Bible every day.

Frankly, I am sick and tired of hearing constant remarks by media, associates, relatives, politicians, friends and others of how horrible everything is these days. Everything is not bad! REPEAT, EVERYTHING IS NOT BAD! The best thing we can do is not participate in these poisonous discussions, look for good things and talk about them.

Steven Pinker, a professor of psychology at Harvard University tells us that things are getting better. In his book “Better Angels” he says homicide rates in the Middle Ages were 35 times what they are today in Europe. Other information: The rate of death in warfare is down by a factor of 20 since 1945. Domestic violence is down. Child abuse is going down. We’re all aware that polio and smallpox has been eradicated.

My advice on this topic is: Don’t hang out with negative people.