From childhood, I was taught that the arrival of the new year brings tidings of new opportunity. The process begins with collard greens, black-eyed peas, hog jowls and cornbread ringing in the new year with the potential of good fortune. After the meal is over then begins the hard work. What are the goals for […]
The Christmas shopping season is in full swing and so has the mad dash to get everything done before all the kinfolk start gatherin’ around the icicle-strewn Douglas fir tree to open presents. I remember waking to the smell of bacon frying Christmas morning. As I rushed into the living room, the tree would sparkle […]
When I started in country music one of the acts which was taking the industry by storm was Alabama. Randy Owen, Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry left the cotton farms of Fort Payne, Alabama to spend the summer playing music in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina bar called The Bowery. It’s a classic American tale […]
Christmas for many is filled with favorites – food, music, decorations, and family. But for many the month of December is filled with reminders of what can be overcome in other months of the year. Loneliness is a feeling that many manage throughout the year. When Christmas comes around though up goes the beauty of […]
Throughout my childhood there were two consistent high points to weekends – Saturday nights at 7 p.m. for “Hee Haw” and Sunday mornings for “The Gospel Singing Jubilee.” In the course of one week, America said goodbye to key stars of both of those shows which made up a huge piece of the American fabric […]
Thanksgiving is a time in my memory that takes me back to the days of splendidly set tables, endless rows of holiday delights and friends and family gathered with their heads bowed thanking God for his blessings upon our homes. I can still smell the turkey turning a golden brown, the sage that flavored the […]
I have spent some of my most recent months asking my distant relatives for help in honoring our ancestors through the restoration or placement of tombstones of generations past. It is a small act that we can share to recognize decades of work, tears, blood, and hopes and dreams given by those who preceded our […]
The election season is finally over once again, barring any post-count legal maneuverings by either side. It is now time for all candidates on every tier of government to take off the boxing gloves, shake hands and come out fighting for the American people rather than against each other. I have often wondered what miracles […]
As we watch television classics, there are many character actors that have made their marks and found niches that have allowed them to keep in front of the American public for years and years. One of those actors was introduced to the American television family in the 1960s. Initially, like so many actors – George […]
In life we are constantly faced with choices. We are blessed or cursed with the gift of free will, depending on your perspective. From the smallest detail of “Do you want fries with that?” to “Do you take this woman to be your wife?” in America, we have endless choices. People can choose to work […]
