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
Tag: relationships
A Father’s Wish
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to spend four uninterrupted hours in the car with my oldest son. There were certain topics I had decided ahead of time that I wanted to discuss with him to take advantage of this gift of time alone.We had no trouble talking about how he spent his week with … Continue reading A Father’s Wish
Wedding faux pas?
Weddings in the New South bring up all sorts of issues never before encountered in the history of weddings. Last weekend, Carla and I took our oldest son, Barron, to his first wedding -- the marriage of his youth minister, Matt Hester, and our friend Courtney Phillips. It was a beautiful and somewhat unorthodox ceremony and reception that … Continue reading Wedding faux pas?
My little brother the leprechaun
Tomorrow is March 17, a date that looms large for my family. No, we’re not Irish. Well, we're a little Irish, but not THAT Irish. You see, 39 years ago on St. Patrick’s Day, my little red-headed brother was born. He would end up being my first little brother, but none of us knew that … Continue reading My little brother the leprechaun
Here’s to you, January birthday person
Conventional wisdom is that folks with December birthdays have it the worst. Their special day gets lost in the run up to Christmas, and those with Dec. 25-31 birthdays are completely overshadowed. I think we have a contender for most under-appreciated birthday month people: that would be the January folks. After looking at our calendar for the … Continue reading Here’s to you, January birthday person
Orlando beckons
In less than an hour on Interstate 75 the week after Christmas and it becomes abundantly clear that the entire population of the Eastern and Midwestern United States along with a great portion of Canada is heading to Central Florida. The mass migration is led by the exodus of Atlantans, fleeing the onset of a … Continue reading Orlando beckons
An unexpected journey
When Barron and Harris piled into the back of the new Hyundai, eager to ride with Daddy after another great meal at Los Hermanos, they had no idea we weren’t following Carla home. We had already had a pretty good day. It was one of those rare days when Carla and Carlton still had preschool, … Continue reading An unexpected journey
Boys and dogs
For the last several years, our boys – particularly our oldest – have been pleading for us to get a dog. My reply has always been, “We have a dog. Her name is Pasha.” This is only partially true. There is a dog named Pasha that lives next door to us. She is friendly and … Continue reading Boys and dogs
A month’s worth of thankfulness in one serving
November brings with it a number of seasonal peculiarities: falling leaves, premature Christmas decorations, cooler temperatures and now, in the New South, daily thanksgiving posts on Facebook. I’m not sure when the trend started, but taking the month of November to post “What I am thankful for today” status updates has caught on. Yes, there … Continue reading A month’s worth of thankfulness in one serving
Fiscal cliff
Lately my wife and I have been talking a lot about money. No, not the exciting “What would we do if we won the lottery?” kinds of conversations about money. More of the “If we refinance our mortgage what does our monthly budget look like?” kinds of conversations about money. During the seemingly never-ending presidential … Continue reading Fiscal cliff
New South Essays 