(ROCKWALL, TX — DECEMBER 31, 2018) Thanksgiving Day dinner consisted of a steaming bowl of Muesli cereal with cranberries and a cup of hot tea, and I was so tired I could barely eat. However, the campfire did its job; the pops and sizzles bring a certain comfort in the wilderness, especially on the banks […]
(ROCKWALL, TX — November 19, 2018) The surgery was just a few hours away when I called home. “I just don’t feel right about it,” Angie said. I debated at first, having psyched myself up all day long. After my graduate school classes, I was scheduled to be “fixed,” for lack of a better term. […]
(ROCKWALL, TX – Sept. 26, 2018) I buried a faithful friend the other day, the best a man can have. It took me a solid hour to dig the required size of hole and I picked the spot in the yard she loved to sunbathe. It was tough work, between shoveling and tears, Lucy loved and […]
(ROCKWALL, TX – September 10, 2018) The teacher walked in to my junior year AP English class, slammed the door, her heels echoing off the floor as she walked before us. Her blue eyes were piercing. She dripped confidence and resolve as she introduced herself and the class expectations; we were intimidated. Ironically, Mrs. Vowell […]
(ROCKWALL, TX — August 2, 2018) I couldn’t believe Ireland went right into the water. She loves to swim but swimming in a lake was a new experience, so she ventured in, then reality hit and she got right back out and stayed in the boat. We had gone in “halvsies” with my brother-in-law to […]
(ROCKWALL, TX — June 27, 2018) In the grandstands of the parade deck, the wind ripped through us; it was freezing, one of the coldest days ever at Parris Island, South Carolina. We shivered, immersed in U.S. Marine culture, waiting for our son’s platoon to march across. It was the glorious end to a long […]
(ROCKWALL, TX — June 4, 2018) While being walked by the dog in Harry Myers Park, I stumbled upon a large crowd of parents and kids encircling the ponds by the historical homes—it was a fishing derby. Kids casted lines, reeled, and screamed the iconic, “I got one!” as moms and dads ran over to […]
(ROCKWALL, TX — May 1, 2018) Shadow darted under the walking bridge, through the running water, exiting from under the other side, only to circle back up to the path until the leash tightened. It was tangled and mud splattered me as I attempted to fix the mess. The dog had first chased a squirrel, […]
(ROCKWALL, TX — April 6, 2018) As I drive back to Memphis I often pass an exit labeled, “Gill Campus.” Pride follows the memory of the day the local community college dedicated their campus with my dad’s name on the front, and what’s funny is Dad nearly flunked out of school. He graduated what I […]
(ROCKWALL, TX — March 5, 2018) “Whatcha eating, Dad?” I often asked when we went to lunch at his favorite “Luby’s-style” cafeteria. His answer could be anything from veal parmesan to Salisbury steak. “Wanna try?” He’d ask. “Eeww,” and just like that, I stepped in his trap. In my family if you turned your nose […]