I am a man of principle. One of my core principles is that when I am in Texas, I must consume brisket and Tex-Mex. Oh, and if it works out, I will try to hang out with my moogerhead brothers. This week I managed to accomplish all three during a work trip that had me … Continue reading When in Texas
In honor of my youngest brother's birthday yesterday, here is the second part of an appreciation of my brothers. If you missed part one back in March, you can catch up on my thoughts about my middle brother, Lee, here. Lyle Elrod Wallace joined our family January 13, 1981, disrupting the roles and responsibilities each … Continue reading Appreciating my brothers, part 2
This time of year always makes me nostalgic for the glorious summer-and-a-half my family had an above-ground swimming pool. With temperatures climbing into the 90s now, I can't help but wish for a dip in the pool like those carefree summer days in my pre-teens. This vintage ad from the 1980s gives you an idea … Continue reading Above ground
Arthur Lee Wallace arrived on the scene on March 17, 1974, changing all of our lives. I was three-and-a-half and not convinced it was for the better. I eyed him with suspicion as he disrupted the established order that had me at the center. New baby Lee got all the attention. In my shyness, I … Continue reading Appreciating my brothers, part 1
On Nov. 1, 2013, my father-in-law, Lanny Barron, was in an automobile accident on his way to his house in Sandersville from his family's farm outside of town. He died on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28. Today's essay is the eulogy I had the honor of delivering at Lanny's funeral. He and Cynthia would have been married … Continue reading Thoughts on Lanny
These were two journeys I didn’t want to take. I was less than thrilled to be “voluntold” by my wife back before Christmas that I was chaperoning our son’s first snow skiing adventure in January with the youth from church. This attitude was mirrored in my less-than-enthusiastic embrace of said son reaching the adolescent milestone … Continue reading It’s all downhill
With age comes responsibility, and one of the responsibilities of children aged 5 and older in our house is eating vegetables. Lest you think Carla and I are unreasonable parents, we are not clean platers. The quantity of the food consumed is not our beef, so to speak. We insist our children eat vegetables as … Continue reading Veggie tales
For the past two weeks, Carlton has been without his favorite sleep-aid: Lion. This now raggedy stuffed animal with the roaring voice box that hasn’t worked in several years has been his constant sleeping companion for the better part of five years. But two weeks ago, a weekend with the grandparents was so much fun … Continue reading Lions and monkeys and turtles, oh my!
With so much noise in our lives in the New South, I often fail to listen to my children. Now that school has started again, I have a daily opportunity to engage with my boys on a meaningful level each night at the dinner table. It's the favorite part of my day. This week we … Continue reading The favorite part of my day
There are two times a year I evaluate the direction of my life: New Year’s and my birthday. New Year’s resolutions are somewhat cliché, but the start of a new calendar year is a natural time to take stock of your life, look at your goals and determine course corrections. My birthday falls nearly eight … Continue reading My semi-annual appraisal
New South Essays 