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The New American Digest

For Followers of Gerard Van der Leun's Fine Work

  • About American Digest
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  • “The Name In The Stone”
  • Remembering Gerard Van der Leun
    • from the website: Through the Looking Glass
    • from the website: Barnhardt
    • from the website: Neo’s Blog
  • Articles
    • The Overland Stage
      • The Holladay Overland Stage: 1 – The Central Route
      • The Overland Stage – 2 Company Operations
      • The Overland Stage – 3 Exploring The Route – An Overview
      • The Overland Stage: 4 – South Platte/Julesburg/Ft Sedgwick
        • Jack Slade
      • The Overland Stage: 5 – Julesburg to Junction Station (aka Ft Morgan)
      • The Overland Stage: 6 – Junction Station to Latham
      • The Overland Stage: 7 – Latham Crossing to Fort Collins
      • The Overland Stage: 8 – LaPorte to Virginia Dale
      • The Overland Stage: 9 – Virginia Dale to Cooper Creek
      • The Overland Stage: 10 – Cooper Creek to Pass Creek
        • Fletcher Family
      • The Overland Stage: 11 – Pass Creek to Bridger Station
      • The Overland Stage: 12 – Bridger Pass to Duck Lake
      • The Overland Stage: 13 – Duck Lake to LaClede
      • The Overland Stage: 14 – LaClede to Almond
      • The Overland Stage: 15 – Almond to Rock Springs
      • The Overland Stage: 16 – Rock Springs to Fort Bridger
      • The Overland Stage: 17 – Fort Bridger to Weber Station

I find I don’t wish to explore new lands, but to explore again those I have already passed through, trying to see what I’d missed in the first hectic rush … Gerard Van der Leun

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Author Archives: jd

Ten Rules for Living the Good Life

The New American Digest Posted on October 23, 2025 by jdOctober 23, 2025

from a jd comment

by LTC Roy E. Peterson

You must make peace with your own past.
_Construct a mental suture
with timeless thread and mercy’s needle,
_Then focus on your future.

What other people think of you
_you never will control.
If truly bad, then prove them wrong
_For peace within your soul.

The only person who’s in charge
_of happiness is you.
It matters not what others think,
_or what they say and do.

You can’t compare your life to others,
_Not knowing what they’ve gone through.
What you can do is be supportive
_with friendship that is true.

Time heals almost everything,
_Focus on what’s ahead.
Keep only those good memories,
_Replay them in your head.

Stop overthinking all life’s problems
_Answers are everywhere.
Use more than one source to tackle them
_Then make a choice aware.

Your smile should be your asset.
_There is no cause to frown.
You don’t own all the world’s problems.
_They’ll only get you down.

Be kind and thoughtful to those you meet
_that’s the way to start.
Just one kind act that you have done
_affects all human hearts.

Be thankful for all that you have
_it could be less, you know.
Don’t be Comparison’s poor slave
_Let satisfaction show.


LTC Roy E. Peterson, US Army Military Intelligence and Russian Foreign Area Officer (Retired) has published more than 6,200 poems in 88 of his 112 books. He has been an Army Attaché in Moscow, Commander of INF Portal Monitoring in Votkinsk, first US Foreign Commercial Officer in Vladivostok, Russia and Regional Manager in the Russian Far East for IBM. He holds a BA, Hardin-Simmons University (Political Science); MA, University of Arizona (Political Science); MA, University of Southern California (Int. Relations) and MBA University of Phoenix. He taught at the University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, University of Maryland, Travel University and the University of Phoenix.

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Rules

Gerard Van der Leun
12/26/45 - 1/27/23


Gerard's Last Post
(posthumous): Feb 4, 2023
"So Long. See You All a Little Further Down the Road"

When my body won’t hold me anymore
And it finally lets me free
Where will I go?
Will the trade winds take me south through Georgia grain?
Or tropical rain?
Or snow from the heavens?
Will I join with the ocean blue?
Or run into a savior true?
And shake hands laughing
And walk through the night, straight to the light
Holding the love I’ve known in my life
And no hard feelings

Avett Brothers - No Hard Feelings

The following was posted along with the announcement of Gerard's passing.
Leonard Cohen - Going Home

For a 2005 interview with Gerard


November 2025
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Most Recent Comments

  1. Joe on Robert “Bob” B. 1950-2015November 8, 2025

    Great story told from the heart. Tempus fugit.

  2. ghostsniper on Robert “Bob” B. 1950-2015November 8, 2025

    Where is it? ========= Ever wonder whatever happened to the chrome airplane that was on the cover of the (only)…

  3. azlibertarian on Robert “Bob” B. 1950-2015November 8, 2025

    ghost.... "...Multiple times daily I marvel at your last sentence...." Snakepit... "Bob lived a life good enough to be mentionable.…

  4. Snakepit Kansas on Robert “Bob” B. 1950-2015November 8, 2025

    Bob lived a life good enough to be mentionable. I hope I have done the same.

  5. ghostsniper on Robert “Bob” B. 1950-2015November 8, 2025

    Well told story DT. We all have our "Bobs" don't we? Multiple times daily I marvel at your last sentence.…


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Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man,
play a song for me
I'm not sleepy
and there ain't no place I'm goin' to

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man,
play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning,
I'll come followin' you

Take me for a trip upon
your magic swirling ship
All my senses have been stripped
And my hands can't feel to grip
And my toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'

I'm ready to go anywhere,
I'm ready for to fade
Unto my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it


Men who saw night coming down about them could somehow act as if they stood at the edge of dawn.


From Gerard's site. The picture always caught my eye.

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