ROCKWALL, TX (June 28, 2022) – Twenty years ago, the USS Spiegel Grove went down near Key Largo, Florida. But the locals happily observe the anniversary since the sinking was intentional. The state had received title to the retired Navy ship hoping it could become a haven for marine life. The sunken ship, just six […]
ROCKWALL, TX (May 5, 2022) The events of births decreased while the numbers of deaths climbed during our pandemic years. And many of us attended more funerals than weddings. Yet we have none other than King Solomon to tell us, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the […]
ROCKWALL, TX – April 15, 2022 — A woman who approached our dinner table shocked our small church group. Someone asked her, “How much weight did you lose?” “Fifty pounds,” the woman replied with no enthusiasm. This poor soul had suffered the harsh effects of a deadly superbug. Her cure was harsh as well: high-power […]
Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires — Song of Songs 2:7 (NIV) ROCKWALL, TX – February 3, 2022 — My second semester of college began with bleak winter days in the Ozark Mountains. I was only a few hours from home by road but more than a few degrees colder by […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Dec. 15, 2021) The girls’ faces fell an inch apiece after opening their mutual birthday present. Our small audience of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles had expected a more enthusiastic response. While the eight-year-old dutifully recovered in time to produce a polite smile and a “thank you,” her six-year-old sister summoned the courage […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 15, 2021) Some memories stand out within the annals of holidays past—for better or worse reasons. I recall my first Thanksgiving holiday away from home due to threatening weather. My college friend and housemate, Rhonda, could not drive the distance to join her family either, so we hatched a plan for our […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Oct. 18, 2021) I once stood face to face with the devil, and I didn’t like the looks of him. I suspected the figure in red was really the boy down the street. He only demanded candy, yet a slight shiver ran down my juvenile spine at the sight of his pointed tail […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (August 22, 2021) A lot of students take their educational opportunities seriously. Since I was not one of those, I’ve spent a lifetime making up for my losses. A world atlas catches my attention as I pass a certain bookshelf. I throw it open to survey the Caspian Sea. Ten minutes later, I realize […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (June 24, 2021) The azalea bushes reached their peak of bloom the week a realtor planted her “For Sale” sign in our yard. The house shouted “ready” too since we’d spent weeks preparing for our move to another home only miles away. Perfect timing—we thought. After driving boxes of kitchen items to the […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (May 6, 2021) Saturday mornings were the worst. My usual routine of dusting each room and dry-mopping the floors grew tedious in the weeks after losing my mother. For over a decade I’d held a phone in one hand and cleaning items in the other while my weekly conversation with Mom made the Saturday […]