My Side Hustle
I have discovered an incredibly lucrative side hustle. Every summer my wife, Judy, and I spend July and August in Colorado where I fly...
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Notes from Lucky Lake
Ray Smilor
Notes From Lucky Lake
Blog by Ray Smilor
rsmilor
- Apr 28, 2021
- 7 min
Hird Avenue
In my boyhood memory, my brother, Johnny, and I grew up in a spacious house. Actually, it wasn't spacious, and it wasn't a house. From...
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rsmilor
- Apr 22, 2021
- 4 min
Riding in the Back Seat
Recently, our family took a trip to Ennis, Texas for the annual bluebonnet festival. My son, Matthew, drove. Samantha, my...
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rsmilor
- Feb 4, 2021
- 5 min
That Fainting Altar Boy
At one time or another, every boy growing up Catholic wonders if God is calling him to the religious life. I know. I once considered...
123 views1 comment
rsmilor
- Jan 10, 2021
- 6 min
My First Mortal Sin
I committed my first mortal sin when I was thirteen years old. I remember the time and place of my damning infraction. On a warm Friday...
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rsmilor
- Dec 13, 2020
- 5 min
Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
I have to admit to a guilty pleasure. In this year of COVID, I have become hooked on a reality TV show called Life Below Zero. It's about...
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rsmilor
- Nov 7, 2020
- 5 min
From Whom We Learn
Father John was General George Patton in a black robe and a white collar. He didn't so much walk up and down the aisles of my class in...
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rsmilor
- Sep 22, 2020
- 5 min
My Football Career
When I was a boy growing up on the west side of Cleveland, playing football was a required right of passage. Â If you didn't play...
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rsmilor
- Sep 5, 2020
- 4 min
Reaching a Goal
Sometimes reaching a goal has no connection whatsoever to numbers or statistics or records. Sometimes it does not matter in reaching a...
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rsmilor
- Aug 25, 2020
- 4 min
An Origin Story
Most couples have an origin story. Â A retelling of how they met, how they learned about one another, how they fell in love. If the couple...
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rsmilor
- Jul 5, 2020
- 3 min
Becoming Type B
Heat-seeking missile. Â That's how someone, whom I was trying to hire, once described me. He had gone through a final round of interviews...
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rsmilor
- Jun 18, 2020
- 4 min
Quantity Time
I used to be a firm believer in quality time.  When my two sons were pre-adolescent boys, I tried to spend time with them, but it seemed...
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Raymond Smilor PhD
- May 31, 2020
- 3 min
Finding Lucky Lake
Sometimes, you find something that you did not know you were looking for. The discovery combines surprise and relief. Surprise at finding...
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- Apr 20, 2020
- 5 min
Are you ready for some football?
The NFL draft starts Thursday. Oh, heart be still! Â I have to admit, I'm ready for some football. I've tried to get my fill of football...
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- Apr 15, 2020
- 4 min
Unbelievable... Really?
In the midst of our self-isolation, I have been watching reruns of most any sport I can find on cable. Â I'm desperate. And, in listening...
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- Apr 10, 2020
- 4 min
Remembering Stuffing and Aluminum Foil
When I was a boy, my family had traditions around important holidays like Easter.
Our traditions started weeks before Easter Sunday with th
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- Mar 30, 2020
- 3 min
Ultra Racing
On our kitchen counter is a framed quote that Judy and I like to reflect upon: "You are stronger than you think you are. You can do more...
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