Eric Needle

I had heard enough. I took a chance, I went for it. By the time Saturday night rolled around I had heard so, so much on TV and the news about Powerball and the chance to win some or all of 900 million dollars. So I bought a ticket. There, I’ve confessed. There was no winner last week as everybody knows and now over a billion dollars is up for grabs. And by the time...

My neighbor is receiving hospice care at home and is very near death. Her family has been in and out all weekend, caring for her and each other. She is such a sweet lady, always very friendly to me and easy to talk to. Whenever I would see her sitting outside her home she would always have her phone close by. Her phone was her link to the outside world. As her vision slowly faded...

I have often wondered what it might be like to take someone from a faraway world and explain to them what happens in our country as a new year dawns. Yes, we put on silly party hats and drink and dance the night away (some do, while some just try to stay awake!) while we watch a large crystal ball drop in New York. We celebrate the ending of one year and the beginning of...

Merry Christmas! That creates some pressure, does it not? I mean we say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” and “Joy to the World” but the reality is life isn’t always merry, happy and joyful. Do not get me wrong, I’m not a pessimist and I don’t mean to bring anyone down. As I minister to and with patients over these last four years as a chaplain in four different hospital settings, I see it...

Star Wars, the movie, will be released this weekend! The only way you might not know that is if you do not have a TV, computer/phone/internet, or read a newspaper. It is the most anticipated movie in decades, said the Today show, and will likely gross several billion dollars. And that isn’t counting the merchandise that is already hot off the shelves because Star Wars has millions of rabid followers, and collectors of memorabilia. I’m...

Two parades in one week! Friday evening last I attended the evening Christmas parade in one city where I work and had a wonderful time. A local funeral home had set up tents with warmers and we served hot cocoa and cookies to the crowd on behalf of the hospital. There were many volunteers who made it all possible! Yesterday Crawfordsville held their annual Christmas parade in the afternoon. We were blessed with a gorgeous...

It was a big mistake. I won’t do this one again! I don’t know what I was thinking stopping into my local Wal-Mart Thanksgiving late afternoon. I had returned from a wonderful day with my family in Indianapolis and just wanted to run in for a few things. I should have known something was up when I realized the local grocery stores were closed, or, in one case, closed at4 p.m. There were lines, and...

“Betty” called me all in a tizzy. She is my neighbor and is in ever failing health, as a widow she lives alone. She seemed all upset and urgency in her voice and I quickly asked if she was okay. She said she was fine, but wanted me to come over and change her garage light bulb! She needs that to be able to see in her garage, she reminded me (she has no car...

Every year at this time of year I can hear his voice. No, I am not talking about the Lord necessarily, but about Woody. He was a buddy during my college days at IU. Every year, at this time of year, he would start and not stop. Over and over again he said it, over and over again he got other people to say it. Over and over all through the month of November, Woody...

Chaos! Defined in the dictionary as “state of confusion or disorder,” seems to describe life, doesn’t it? Our calendars are full, we are busy, and stress is part of our lives. The Holidays are upon us as my satellite radio station begin offering Christmas music on one of the channels! For my birthday last week my daughter got me a bottle of that aromatherapy called “stress relief.” It is one of those pleasant odors that...

The World Series just ended and no offense to baseball fans, but thank God. The “boys of summer” playing through Halloween doesn’t seem right somehow. I was thinking of the all the positions on a team and how important they are to work together. The coaches direct the players often using signals from the dugout. The catcher and pitcher coordinate the kind of pitch to the batter is going to get. And, depending on that...

The colorful “show” of beautiful trees is ending, so says the weather man. Here in central Indiana we will be getting wind and rain the next couple days and the leaves will come down. It makes me sad because I have loved the “show” and have enjoyed the bright colors of the trees, bushes and even some shrubs. Sometimes it just takes my breath away, they are so beautiful. Yesterday I went walking around the...