Our middle son, Harris, started his senior year of high school this week. We joke all the time about how sad it would be if high school really did turn out to be a person's "glory days." He's looking forward to a good senior year, but he's also hopeful about college, graduate school, starting his … Continue reading Glory days
Tag: New South Essays
A memorable/terrible birthday
The summer of 1986 was glorious, until it wasn’t. In the first two weeks after school ended, I met the younger sister of a woman in our church. She was my age and visiting for the summer from Chicago. When you grow up a preacher’s kid in a congregation with limited teenagers in a small … Continue reading A memorable/terrible birthday
Childhood stories about ‘Little Lancer’
Stories not only describe a life; they can shape it as well. That’s true for the stories I’ve heard about my infancy and childhood as I have constructed my life’s narrative. These stories contain clues that explain my reluctance to change, fastidiousness, stubbornness, refusal to give in, and spreading joy with humor and good spirits. … Continue reading Childhood stories about ‘Little Lancer’
Nelson Mandela and my historic misstep
Interns notoriously misstep so often that their ineptitude, no matter the field, is a cliché. I lived up to that cliché when a false step during a journalism internship for Knight Ridder newspapers’ Washington bureau in the fall of 1991 became one of the strangest things to ever happen to me. That internship proved to … Continue reading Nelson Mandela and my historic misstep
‘Stranger Things’ and nostalgic fads from my childhood
As my family indulges in season four of Netflix's hit series "Stranger Things," I'm once again overwhelmed with '80s nostalgia. It has led to many conversations with my boys about which fads of the era I embraced. No, I did not have Steve Harrington hair. Yes, I was a high school journalism nerd. No, I … Continue reading ‘Stranger Things’ and nostalgic fads from my childhood
Beach happy
I am blessed with myriad joys in my life -- being married to Carla, parenting three wonderful young men, participating in our family of faith at Parkway Baptist Church, and many more. When joy is given a location -- the now cliche "happy place" -- my mind always goes to our summer family vacations to … Continue reading Beach happy
College visits produce anxiety, nostalgia
The joke about campus tours is that they’re all the same. This short video from College Humor captures it nicely. After taking two such tours this week with my middle son, Harris, I’ve concluded that, yes, touring campuses starts to feel like deja vu after a while, but if you’re paying attention, there’s a lot … Continue reading College visits produce anxiety, nostalgia
Becoming my father
As I age, I hear my father’s words come out of my mouth with greater frequency. I see how strongly I have been imprinted by my father. I have his creativity, work ethic, conviction, stubbornness, and tendency toward anger as a way of expressing concern. I deeply love and respect my father, and as my … Continue reading Becoming my father
River rescue
From my earliest days as a rookie features writer at The Macon Telegraph in 1992, I heard reporters talk about canoeing the Ocmulgee River and writing about it for the paper. I was young and foolish enough to attempt it. In the late summer of 1993 I began the ambitious project of paddling the entire … Continue reading River rescue
Above ground
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
New South Essays 