Parkland Press

The governor recently signed an executive order to create the Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center to address the state’s skills gap and worker shortages.

Workforce development is an issue I have always been passionate about and I am pleased the governor is also prioritizing the importance of preparing our workforce for available jobs.

To help advance this new agenda, I have reintroduced my legislation to help expose middle and high school students to opportunities in high-demand fields.

You might be reading this in the aftermath of another snow day.

On March 3, when serious work began on this piece, forecasters anticipated snow in various accumulations in a storm expected to last mid-afternoon to early morning March 4.

Predictions of inclement weather prompted Northwestern Lehigh School District to cancel the afternoon performance of the spring musical “The Addams Family” at the high school on March 3 and to offer details about securing ticket refunds via a special bulletin on the district website.

Snow

Snow is simply beautiful,

as it comes tumbling down.

It silences the world outside,

and spreads itself around.

Building snowmen was such fun.

It was a joy to me.

Sometimes we’d build a lot of them,

maybe two or three.

Another thing we used to do,

make snow angels, that was fun too!

When I was young, I couldn’t wait,

to go outside to play;

But, now that I am older,

I simply stay away.

We used to build snow forts;

snow balls were fun, indeed.

Now we stay inside our home;

Nearly 50 percent of older adults report using seven or more medications while remaining active drivers, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Currently, a record 42 million adults age 65 and older are driving, which is expected to increase substantially over the next decade and may make them the largest driving population.

AAA encourages older drivers to ask their doctors and pharmacists as many questions as necessary to ensure they understand why they need the medications prescribed to them, and how they can affect their driving.

I don’t remember the man’s name, but I will never forget his words.

A model railroad fanatic since childhood, he dreamt he would someday own a miniature, outdoor train system that was fully operational.

He had to wait until his 60s to fully realize his passion but he achieved his dream.

“You can’t get old and say, I wish I had …” he began. “You want to get old and say, I’m glad I did …”

Life is so short, so fragile. If you have a dream, chase it.

Dreams do come true. He is proof. So are many others.

When was the last time you used a credit card to make a purchase? Was it last week? A couple days ago? Or was it even sometime today?

According to a cnbc.com Jan. 23, 2018, article titled “Credit card debt hits a record high. It’s time to pay off your debt,” Jessica Dickler writes, “The average American has a credit card balance of $6,375, up from nearly 3 percent from [2017], according to Experian’s annual study on the state of credit and debt in America.

A funny tale pops up when people talk about marriage and anniversaries: A couple was celebrating their golden anniversary by renewing their vows. At the conclusion of the little ceremony their pastor congratulated them on 50 years of marriage and posed to them one question. “At any point along the way, did divorce ever cross your minds?”

The husband responded with a quick “No, never.” The wife nodded in agreement and said, “Divorce, no. Murder, yes.”

And such is the stuff that marriages are made of.

A Secret

I have many longtime friends

And we’ll be friends until the end.

But, someone has a secret to hide,

And they will not confide.

Do they think I would tell?

Do they think I would betray?

They should know by now that I would

Never, give their secret away.

Sometimes we fib or tell white lies,

To avoid hurting someone;

We try to save face, or try to save grace,

So no friendship damage is done.

I understand that. I know what it’s like

To be hurt by a close friend of mine;

So I watch what I say,

The story goes that one man challenged a second man to write a children’s book using only 50 different words.

The first man was Bennett Cerf, founder of the Random House publishing company. The second man was Theodor Geisel, author, political cartoonist and animator.

The outcome of the bet: $50 in Geisel’s pocket and a little book titled “Green Eggs and Ham.”

The challenge was a win-win really. Random House, in 1960, published the work, which has sold more than 8 million copies.

State Senate

Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-18th

Office: 1 E. Broad St., Suite 120, Bethlehem

Phones: 610-868-8667; 717-787-4236.

Sen. Pat Browne, R-16th

Office 702 Hamilton St., Allentown

Phones: 610-821-8468; 717-787-1349.

Sen. Mario Scavello, R-40th

Office: 2 N. Robinson Ave., Pen Argyl; 2989 Route 611, Unit 103, Tannersville, Monroe County

Phones: 610-863-1200; 570-620-4326; 717-787-6123.

State House

Rep. Gary Day, R-187th

Office: 6299 Route 309, Suite 302, New Tripoli

Phones: 610-760-7082; 717-787-3017.