WELCOME TO AFTERTHOUGHTS

Thoughts that occur to this writer too late to say in the moment but are too important not to share.

AFTERTHOUGHTS is a collection of personal essays on contemporary political, economic and social topics that range from the serious to the light-hearted. The essays span experiences drawn from this writer’s professional career and family life, all stitched together by a lifetime of learning and relearning.

These AFTERTHOUGHTS essays are brief articulations of topics this writer was too mellow to verbalize coherently at that dinner party last night. Or didn’t take the time after reading the morning newspaper to draft a response to an editorial with which he took strong objection or felt close affinity. The result: afterthoughts that linger on his mind and plea to be put down on paper, then self-critiqued, polished and refined in content and flow to make them worthy of sharing.

AFTERTHOUGHTS is a celebration of our ability today as a community of writers to use digital media platforms like Substacks to become Johnny Appleseeds sowing ideas across the literary landscape of this nation and around the world. Of course, few of this writer’s messages are likely to fall on fertile soil, sprout and grow. The competition for attention is too fierce to expect that very many of these ideas will take root and blossom in the minds of readers. This writer is OK with that. His goal is to enlighten and entertain those who indulge him with a few moments of their time.

AFTERTHOUGHTS is a modest effort to occupy a small niche among many very accomplished Substack writers. This writer is content to be a humble ‘freshman’ whose presence is scarcely noticed among these upperclassmen (and women). It’s an honor to be counted among such talented and insightful journalists, essayists and “newsletterists.”

Finally, AFTERTHOUGHTS is an opportunity for readers to share their responses to this writer’s perspective on some of life’s common experiences and shared events. So readers are invited to pile on with validation or condemnation of these essay posts but most important to come away a bit more enlightened. All feedback is welcome. Above all, the goal is for the writer to entertain and the reader to enjoy.

At the moment these essay posts are being shared only with a small number of the writer’s more willing (and tolerant) friends. Readers can access these essay posts any time by copying and pasting http://philchurch.substack.com into their browser. Or go to www.substack.com and search under this writer’s Substack name “PhilChurch” or “Afterthoughts.”

Readers can receive new essay posts delivered to them via email by subscribing at the link featured at the end of the essays. ###