Phil Gulley-Well, it is good to see you.  Indeed, it is good to see anyone.  I ushered in the new year with a nasty case of bronchitis.  Woke up December 30th to the sound of the trumpet blast, then saw, out of the corner of my eye, the Angel of Death holding a sign with my name on it, like at the airport when someone you’ve never met is picking you up.  But at the last moment, just before I could say, "I think you're looking for me…" his cell phone rang and God told him to pick up someone else. 

Jim Mulholland-When my daughter Nicole was a teenager, she would often come into my office when I was working at my desk, wrap her arms around my neck, and whisper in my ear, "You are the best daddy in the whole world." As much as any father loves to hear those words, I soon learned to be suspicious. There was often a motive other than praise behind her sudden affection. Eventually, it became a game. She would say, "You are the best daddy in the whole world" and I would reply, "What do you want?"

Jim Mulholland-My parents lied to me.  I'm certain they had the best of intentions.  Most parents do.  But often parents tell their children what they wish was the case rather than what is true. 

Philip Gulley-One of the interesting things about growing up is getting to see how the kids you hung out with when you were little turned out.  There were some kids who, when I was growing up, I thought to myself, "Well, they'll end up in jail."  They maybe thought the same thing about me.   But they grew into really neat, responsible, caring adults.  Then there were people you thought were going to be the President of the United States, but they peaked early and weren't all that successful.  They have difficulty in their relationships, they're highly reactive and consequently make poor choices, or they are crippled by one addiction or another.  And it's always surprising because they showed such promise and potential when they were young.

Philip Gulley- When I was about ten years old, a family moved in down the street from us. They had five feral children, kids who weren't raised, they just kind of grew up. One of the kids was particularly mean, just tough as old leather.  I'd walk by their home every morning and afternoon and hardly a day passed that that kid wouldn't see me coming down the sidewalk, fly out their front door, and come after me.  I'd take off running, but I was never fast enough, and that kid would tackle me and start pounding on me, just knocking me down to dust.  It was like that every day for months, that kid just beating the thunder out of me.  Boy, she was tough. 

Jim Mulholland-You know what I hate. I hate it when my wife, Angie, does something irritating, something that isn't quite right, and when I point it out, she says, "Someone must have had a bad day."