Category: Faith & Life Lessons

Our son Joey was about thirteen years old when this happened. We’d built a few new hunting stands on the property that year, and one of them sat down below Papa’s old house. It was early deer season, and as was custom, we were headed in well before daylight — about an hour before sunrise…

Every June, my family heads out on what we proudly call The Family Trip. It started years ago when we realized that if we didn’t pencil in time together, life would erase it for us. So every summer, around the third week of June, our family — cousins and friends included — agree to meet…

I called Dad to wish him a happy 88th birthday. As usual, I dialed Mom’s number—she’s the one who always answers—but she handed the phone to my sister Sandra, who was with her at Cato’s, and Sandra walked the phone out to the car where Dad was waiting. He doesn’t like shopping much, especially not…

Today I played 18 holes with my good friend Mike. That sentence alone might not raise an eyebrow, but in today’s world—where friendships are often fractured by newsfeeds and ballot boxes—it feels almost like a quiet act of rebellion. I met Mike sometime around 2007, not long after we moved to Louisiana. Our sons played…

Growing up in the very northeastern corner of Stokes County, like most kids, we mimicked the behaviors of our parents and older relatives. And while we lived in a practical, working-class community, we still heard stories of dreams, visions, and unexplained happenings. Truth be told, I was always a pretty practical guy myself. But some…