When all the world was young

This June marked the 20th anniversary of my graduation from Troy University, and after spending this week with 140 college students at a conference in Alabama, I can’t help but reflect on how students are different in the New South. As a small group leader who did double duty as an interviewer and reporter covering … Continue reading When all the world was young →

Asocial behavior

Sheets of rain lashed the balcony of our condo, soaking our nearly dry swimsuits and towels. Day six of our week-long family vacation was being washed out, not by a stray afternoon Florida thunderstorm, but by a day-long, soaking tropical rain. With the exception of a couple of forays to local restaurants, we had thus … Continue reading Asocial behavior →

Summer camp in the age of Facebook

Facebook has no higher calling than when it is used to demonstrate to anxious parents that their children are still alive while they are away at camp. I’ve recently been on both sides of this phenomenon. When our oldest when to Boy Scout Camp at Camp Rainey Mountain in Northeast Georgia a couple of weeks … Continue reading Summer camp in the age of Facebook →

Guys’ night out

“Decompression” is the best word to describe my rare night out with the guys last Tuesday. The idea for the outing sprang up last week when I saw that the San Francisco Giants were coming to town to play the Atlanta Braves. Carla was amenable to giving me the night off, so plans were set in … Continue reading Guys’ night out →

Separation anxiety

We tell ourselves it is necessary to send our children away on their own to prepare them for adulthood. I am beginning to believe we must send our children away on their own to prepare us for their adulthood. Last Sunday morning we dropped our 11-year-old son off at the Publix parking lot where he … Continue reading Separation anxiety →

Andy Griffith: One of a kind

After just a few whistled notes of “The Fishin’ Hole,” the immortal theme song of “The Andy Griffith Show,” I am transported to the carefree summer days of my youth. I memorized that tune, gained an appreciation for the show and developed a fondness for the characters watching midday re-runs in the late 1970s and … Continue reading Andy Griffith: One of a kind →

Playing catch up

I’ve spent the better part of the last week in Fort Worth, Texas, working long hours, enduring incredible heat and spending time with my youngest brother and his family. The 8-day odyssey to the place of my birth felt more like two trips in one. The first four days I was engaged in the annual … Continue reading Playing catch up →

Want to keep cool? Wear more clothes

I know, I know, it’s counterintuitive, but as summer pays its annual, six-month visit to the South, it’s important to know how to dress for success. In an era when underclothes are getting way too much exposure for my taste, one example that is not only appropriate but expedient is men’s undershirts. In the South, … Continue reading Want to keep cool? Wear more clothes →

What I want to tell my dad

Of all the retail-induced holidays, Father’s Day requires the most time at the greeting card shelf. It takes me forever to find something that captures the essence of the relationship I have with my dad. I don’t know who writes cards these days, but some of us would like something more meaningful than fishing, golf, … Continue reading What I want to tell my dad →

On the move

As I dipped a scoop of chocolate ice cream onto a sugar cone, it hit me: the Normans really are moving. A Sunday afternoon ice cream party for our friends appeared to be a typical Southern backyard get-together. Children played. Adults talked. Everybody ate. But what I hadn’t really thought about as we prepared for … Continue reading On the move →