| By Richard Gappmayer, Jennifer’s father|

My father was wise. He told me that complaining serves no useful purpose. And nobody wants to hear my complaints. If I was in a situation that I did not like, I should either get out of it or change it, but in no way should I complain about it. We experience these situations almost daily. It is either something that I created or a situation that I have no control over. A good diplomat can figure out how to ease himself out of a situation without offending anyone. Others may fret and stew and complain over the predicament for hours or days and then give up. This accomplishes nothing. Putting forth the effort to come up with a positive solution to the problem will not only produce an acceptable result but usually will leave the participants satisfied.  Thank you, Father.

My dad’s dad, me, my dad, and my oldest daughter. This photo was taken 33 years ago. Don’t I look young?