This weekend we are celebrating my Darling Beloved’s birthday, a few days removed from the actual anniversary of her birth. It will include time with her mama, her children and their significant others, a celebratory dinner out, and the always fun Cirque du Soleil. And I’m here to say that she is worth all of … Continue reading What I needed to hear
If your algorithms are anything like mine, they have been serving you a steady diet of Mother’s Day gift guides, jokes and memes for the last few weeks. I am into it. I need all the help I can get to plan and execute a meaningful Mother’s Day for my mom and the mother of … Continue reading The best Mother’s Day gift
It seems rare for a family structure to repeat, but my family is living proof it happens. I grew up the oldest of three boys with my mom the lone female in a household of uniquely male eccentricities. I am now the parent of three boys with my wife the lone female in a similar … Continue reading Mothers and sons
Last year I decided to revive the tradition of sending a family Christmas letter. I used the internet sensation that is New South Essays rather than putting ink on paper, and it went viral! Well, not exactly pandemic viral, but literally dozens of people were interested enough in our family’s doin’s to click on the … Continue reading The Official Wallace Family Christmas Letter 2023: Clickbait Edition
Unusually warm February weather teased me with a taste of spring this week. The sun peaked out from behind the clouds, and I left my office and took a lap of the campus, basking in the warmth, smiling at the students and getting my blood flowing. It was bliss. Perfect happiness doesn’t exist, but my … Continue reading Perfect happiness
(This is the final installment of a three-part series on why we gave each of our boys their name. Barron's birthday is Feb. 6, so today's post is timed to coincide with that wonderful, life-changing event. Happy 22nd, Barron!) What’s in a name? For us, it’s family. Our three boys are roughly four years apart … Continue reading What’s in a name, part 3
(In honor of Carla's birthday on Nov. 13, here's a reflection on our introduction and courtship.) My deepest and most profound season of happiness came in January of 1996. One Sunday night after church, I was introduced to a young woman who worked with the children in the nursery. The Sunday night crowd was always … Continue reading So glad she was born
I am blessed by a number of people in my life who inspire me. Jesus inspires me to love. I start each day before everyone rises to spend time alone in prayer and with the scriptures. The words and example of Jesus comfort and challenge me. Jesus not only commanded me to love God and … Continue reading Who inspires me
Valentine's Day is supposed to be about romance. After 24-plus years of marriage, romance can be elusive. To help Carla and me, and hopefully you, rekindle the spark of true love, here is the 100% true story of the night I asked Carla Barron to be my wife, by far the most romantic moment of … Continue reading Rigorously pre-planned, spontaneous romance
I am the firstborn son of a firstborn son, but it wasn’t until my first son was born 21 years ago that I began to understand how little I knew about being a parent. Carla and I waited until she finished her master of social work degree before having children. It took us a little … Continue reading First born
New South Essays 