JM Hess

JM Hess

Full-time husband and father working in the corporate world. Casual creative and amateur storyteller. Simply, a guy with a blog, scraps of time, and Internet.

Fire in the Sky: Grateful

Fire in the Sky: George Harrison said it best. “Here comes the sun and I said, ‘It’s alright.’” Grateful for the gift of one more day on this big, beautiful rotating orb with the people I love and connecting with everyone in a community of our individually unique, diverse but shared journey of experiences. All struggles considered, life is not overrated.

Calling All Voices: Running on Empty

Hand reaching for the sky from the sea for help from drowning. Image courtesy of Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash

Your Stories of Struggling with and Overcoming Burnout When the Fuel Tank is Beyond E Burnout can be characterized by a number of causes and states. We can all relate to prolonged work-related stress and running on fumes; however, as…

The Price of Peace

A Devastating Peace: A black and white photo showing the blacked out remains of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The Genbaku Dome, or A-Bomb Dome, was an exhibition hall built 30 years before the August 1945 bomb dropped. One of the few structures standing in the aftermath, it now serves as stark reminder in the larger, moving Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

A Stark Reminder of the Price of Peace: The blacked out remains of the Genbaku Dome, or A-Bomb Dome, in Hiroshima, Japan.

The Crooked Way

The Crooked Way: A photo shows a sign of Highway 1 South with a crooked arrow. The highway runs to and from Key West, FL

Highway 1 South runs to and from the sun and fun of Key West, FL Crooked? I don’t know. You find the type of fun you look for in my book. Like NOlA and the Rising Sun, I’m sure Key…

Meet Ret. SSgt. Arpy Sojourner, USMC

Pitoto is of a German Shepherd. SSgt. Arpy served bravely and selflessly as the K-9 partner and protector in Japan before retiring in 2024. He lives with us until his buddy returns for their next adventure.

When the opportunity arose to adopt this massive German Shepherd upon his retirement from the USMC as a Military Working Dog (MWD), we jumped at the chance. He has a special connection to our family.