Uncle Thor's Lessons, Anecdotes and Humor

I like creating things. Sometimes it comes out in various ways. Three years past, we passed through a place where I had lived many years ago I pointed out a couple of houses to Audrey. When I was doing roofing work one summer, I had been part of the crew that repaired [...]

Faith is a concept that ranks high in monotheistic religions. People are told to have faith, even when there is no evidence to support it. “Take it on faith” and “blind faith” mean to believe without proof.
Faith also looms large in some New Age and metaphysical systems. These groups promote faith [...]

Be careful as to which face you show. It determines how the world will treat you.
This lesson came to me in high school. There was a math teacher who was a very formidable woman. Her demeanor was intimidating, brusque and unfriendly. She was not the type who inspired interest in her [...]

Here is how to handle complex jobs and do it right the first time. This is very simple. It is so simple that people say, “I already knew that.” The problem is that they do not DO it. Knowing is not the same as doing.
Most complex jobs are actually series of smaller jobs. [...]

When a tortoise is walking, it seems to have a very determined look. Granted that turtles and tortoises do not have facial expressions. The animal’s face is somehow reminiscent of a look of determination.
A few miles away from us is the shore. Several towns have tourist restaurants which play up the [...]

All of the better attributes can be learned. A person can learn to be honest, fair and courageous. Granted that it may be a tough road, with many setbacks, but it can be done. The trick to it is to consciously start behaving in the manner you desire. Success comes gradually, [...]

A simple offering is all it takes. One of the simplest is to cast nine copper coins into a lake, stream, river or the ocean. The act is symbolic, but profound.
A small devotion which we practice is to throw all of our pennies in a separate place. We use a [...]

How do you ask favors of the Gods? In which way do you request their help and guidance? There are many ways to ask. We are not the only ones. Almost every religion has its own methods of petitioning for divine help. Some beg, some use complex rituals, some make offerings.
Why [...]

The principle of electricity is pretty simple. It rests on the circuit, which is a continuous loop from a power source and back to it. The application of electricity for incandescent light is also very simple. The electricity heats a filament, or wire, which then glows.
When inventor Thomas Edison first experimented with an [...]

A man asked a wise man, “How do I get to the holy mountain?”
The wise man replied, “Make your every step take you in that direction.”
This seems like a silly thing, but it illustrates a very real truth. To achieve a goal, everything must be aimed in that direction. In effect, attainment requires [...]