Some decisions are necessary, but that doesn’t make them any easier. Knowing it’s the right thing to do takes some of the sting away, but feelings of sadness and loss still remain. Such was the case last week when the Presbytery of New Harmony voted to p

During a brief conversation with a friend the other day I mentioned the name Lewis Grizzard. “Is he a writer or something?” my young friend asked. “Are you serious?” I shot back, a look of shock up my face. “Son, you cannot rightly call yourself a true So

When this COVID-19 thing finally blows over, we will be able to look back and be thankful for a few good things that are a result, either directly or indirectly, of this pandemic. For me, one of them will be the Sequestered Songwriters Facebook page. Ever

Last night I was so tired, I fell asleep almost instantly. Before my head could hit the pillow, I was snoring like a toddler in daycare at naptime.

Last week’s column included an amusing tale on a northerner’s introduction to boiled peanuts, the Caviar of the South. It was followed by a short commentary on personal distaste for the mushy legumes. Not to my surprise, many were mildly offended at my av

An old friend of mine once told me a story about his first encounter with the southern delicacy known as boiled peanuts. A Yankee by birth, Joe had made his way to North Carolina from his hometown of Johnston, N.J. He lived in the tiny town of Tar Heel, n

Imagine you just grabbed the last slice of your grandma’s homemade pie and are headed to the couch for a little rest, relaxation, and Netflix binging. Life is good. As your make your way from the kitchen to the living room, a glass of milk in one hand and

By any standard, Jimmy Capps was an extraordinary musician. Some would argue that the North Carolina native with silver hair and matching goatee is the standard by which other studio musicians in Nashville should be compared. I was unfamiliar with Jimmy C

Spectacular. Amazing. Breathtaking. Those are the words that immediately came to my mind when asked what it was like jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft traveling 13,500 feet (roughly two and a half miles) above the earth at a speed of 140 miles per

I’m hoping this week’s column will put a great big smile on your face. Today, June 24, is the National Day of Joy. We can sure use one of those about right now, huh? The inaugural National Day of Joy was celebrated last year. Comfort Keepers, a provide

It’s only halfway over, but 2020 has already brought us a global pandemic, protests, riots, racial tension, a growing distrust of law enforcement, and an upcoming election that will no doubt bring a truckload of finger-pointing, accusations, mud-slinging

I was listening to an old John Prine song called “Dear Abby” the other day and it brought back memories of reading the much-loved syndicated column in the local newspaper. The letters she shared and her responses to them rarely failed to make you grin. Th

Sometimes treasures are found in the most unexpected places. With a tangle of golden brown hair swirling around an angelic face, the baby blues eyes of the soon-to-be five-year-old locked in on the phone screen in her tiny hand. A slight cough is followed

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. It provides an opportunity for the South Carolina Department of Social Services to draw attention to the need for foster parents across the state. Children come into foster care when their parents cannot safely

“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We liv