Whenever Lori says, “Let’s not do anything special for Valentine’s,” I flinch. I’m thinking: “Is this a test?” If I say, “Okay,” will she give me “the look,” that glance that says, “I’m so disappointed you are skipping this special day for us.” A word of caution as Valentine’s Day draws nigh: don’t underestimate the …
We drove away from the church, just the two of us. Glancing at Lori, I could see her tears sheening her cheeks. It had been a marvelous Sunday. We had all our children and grandchildren, my older brother and sister-in-law, and Lori’s sister and mother with us. Our church had a beautiful reception for us, …
Some moments you can see coming, a time hanging out there, at once ominous and inviting like it’s standing outside of time—so deep does its anticipation grab you before you have experienced it. When I announced my retirement to my church in October of 2022, effective January 15, 2023, it seemed like three months would …
The biting wind swirled the dead leaves around the mound of dirt where I was digging the grave for our dog, Baylor. “Good ol’ Baylor Boy,” I mumbled as I shoveled. It had been over a month since he died. During his illness, our veterinarian, Dr. Irene Ballard, told us, “We’ll keep him for a …
The late Peter McWillians’ seems to have had it right when he said: “The news media are, for the most part, the bringers of bad news… and it’s not entirely the media’s fault, bad news gets higher ratings and sells more papers than good news.” It’s sad but true. The prophets of foreboding are now …