Opinion

Every year about this time, I look back with appreciation at the people, places and predicaments that made it into my column during the past 12 months.

Last week’s school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, that left four students dead was, sadly, not terribly surprising.

FRANKLIN

I consider it a good day when I read or hear something that had never crossed my mind previously. Being induced to think anew about an issue from an entirely different perspective is stimulating and, on occasion, enlightening. I am always willing to rethink my position although, truth be told, I don’t often change my mind. Still, there is value in the exercise itself.

In 2008, John Henry Ramirez, 37, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to die for the 2004 murder and robbery of Pablo Castro, a convenience store clerk in Corpus Christi.

What a year 2021 has turned out to be.

Do me a favor.

In 2015, @Jack tweeted: “I think Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness. And I believe the world needs that right now.” Last week, the bearded @Jack, otherwise known as Jack Dorsey, quit his job as the CEO of Twitter, apparently having decided that running that thing was no longer much fun.

I became a parent shortly after earning my library degree, and ended up becoming a stay-at-home parent before I ever had a chance to work in a library.

“A cute little cat was following us for a while,” Becky said as she came in from her morning run with Neighbor Kelly.