One of my readers kindly suggested I share a bit of comedy in this column to lift the spirits of folks back home. Some of the best laughs I know come from church and the honest wisdom of young’uns. Take my nephew, for instance. A few years back he asked if he had a guardian […]
In the chill December of 1780, in the midst of a three-pronged attack against the British-aligned Cherokees, Adam Sherrill’s horse suddenly stumbled on the frozen ground near Boyd’s Creek. The rider was thrown hard amid a sharp engagement with a Cherokee war party. Pain exploded through his chest as several ribs snapped. Before he could […]
One never knows from where your positive influences in life might come. When I was an overweight teen on my first real job at the Dairy Queen, a man rode into my life on a black Harley Davidson to take a job as store manager. He would widen my perspective on the world. Ed Cross […]
When there was no place among people for Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, the animals made room for the birth of Jesus in a stable. Donkeys and horses were probably among the first to look upon the Son of God. Isn’t it only appropriate that there be a place for them in the Kingdom of […]
Some nights the line between dream and reality feels thinner than the sheet on my bed. When I was a child, I was taught not to tell anyone what I had dreamed until after breakfast. I never understood the reason for that warning, but I have followed it all my life — at least on […]
Some time ago, I found myself sitting in my doctor’s office for a routine annual test. It was the first time I noticed that the waiting room had been divided into two sections: one clearly marked “Well Side” and the other “Sick Side.” I figured I belonged on the Well Side. But before long, I […]
Ripples float endlessly across the lake as a large frog croaks in the distance. The line running from the end of my pole drifts slightly with the light current, pulling away to my left as the red-and-white float bobs along with the ripples. Much of my first fishing adventure had been spent simply trying to […]
Retreating on foot through the smoke and chaos, young Sergeant Giles Parman pulled his musket close and slipped into an overgrown thicket, using a fallen oak log as cover. Three Iroquois warriors passed within yards of him, their war cries echoing as they hunted stragglers. That desperate moment of survival would haunt him for the […]
A Zippedy Doodle Day : American Folk Songs 2027 First Round GRAMMY (R) Consideration 1) Best American Roots Performance 2) Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals 3) Best Music Video 2026 Vocal Event of the Year Nominee – The Josie Music Awards 2026 Video of the Year Nominee Music Producer & Video Producer of the Year […]
John Donne wrote, centuries ago, “No man is an island.” Sometimes I catch myself living as though I were one anyway. If we are lucky we surround ourselves with family, friends, and acquaintances. Yet how often do we truly belong to one another? Some of us seldom leave the self-imposed exile of our personal islands […]
