There are seasons in life when worries, sorrows, fears, and quiet depressions gather like autumn leaves drifting from the branches. One by one they fall— a health scare, a strained relationship, financial strain, the ache of loneliness, or simply the relentless news of the world—until they form a thick, damp blanket over the ground. The […]
There are many times in my life when I have searched for the reason someone I care about becomes ill or suffers through a series of events. I have sat by the bedside, watching tubes connected to a loved one’s body, and seen people struggle to find a new normal after a health crisis. I […]
In the quiet hills of Ottway, Greene County, Tennessee, the small Malone Cemetery guards a powerful story of generational sacrifice. Here lie two Revolutionary-era veterans: John Joseph Malone Sr. (1724–1783) and his son, John Malone Jr. (1752–1823). Father and son, buried side by side, their graves mark not just a family plot, but a testament […]
Some of the most difficult times to watch are when someone we know is trying to be there for a loved one who is coming to the end of their journey. As I think back through the years, I remember watching my parents as they reached out to support friends or relatives in such times. […]
THIS COLUMN MARKS THE OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN SOUTHERN STYLE “Thank you for all the years of allowing me to share my thoughts with you!” Randall Franks As I stumbled along the dirt road, I would occasionally reach up and slip my hand into Grandpa Jesse‘s. When an independent streak struck, I would pull it […]
I crowded into the MARTA bus headed toward downtown Atlanta. I grabbed a seat as the bus filled up. A Black woman in a gray dress and heels got on, and I noticed there was no available seat, so I rose and moved toward the back, giving her my seat. As I got situated near […]
Imagine fleeing on horseback through the thick South Carolina underbrush, only to feel the sting of a British dragoon’s sword slashing your arm as you deflect a blow meant for your head. This was the harrowing fate of Joshua Moses in 1781, a North Carolina militiaman captured while visiting kin near the Wateree River. Wounded […]
As I placed the log into the black cast-iron stove, I watched the orange sparks rise from the burning embers within its belly in Grandma’s parlor. I often stood at its front, hopeful that it would make me feel warmer. It usually did—at least on one side, until I turned and let the other warm. […]
As I entered adulthood, my late father had already passed away, leaving me as the man of the house. This meant that the various tasks he once handled now fell to me. Household repairs were suddenly my responsibility—either to tackle myself or to hire someone reliable at a reasonable cost. Yard work had been part […]
Amid the crisp autumn air of September 1777, Private Johan Frederick Emert huddled near a flickering campfire along the banks of Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania, his woolen coat—part of the standard Continental Army uniform, dyed a faded blue and frayed from months of marching—draped over his shoulders against the evening chill cleaning his musket. Around […]
