As if by magic, he pulled a folded one-hundred-dollar bill out of a pile of gray lint. “Look what I found,” he said, waving it in the air with a flourish. My wife and I stared at him the same way we did when David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. You know the look - mouth slightly open, eyes fixed, brain scrambling to processes what the eyes have just seen.  Talk about money laundering.  It’s a rare day indeed when an appliance repairman comes to make a servi

Every boy needs a hero. And if he doesn’t, he should. Heroes prove that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. They show what strength and courage look like. Whether real or fictional, a hero gives every boy something essential. Growing up, my hero was the same as thousands of other kids in the South: Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant . Bryant was almost as much myth as man. One of his players once said, “This is what God must look like.” And he wasn’t wrong. St

I walked about seventy-five yards from the visitor center, stepped to the railing, looked both ways, and I gawked. I’m not a big gawker. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I gawked. But the Grand Canyon will do that to you. It isn’t something you merely see. It’s something you behold. It is truly awesome. Which got me thinking about the word awesome. It may be the most abused word in the English language. It applies to the Grand Canyon and the Golden Gate Bridge. It does

There’s a specific time of year when I don’t need a calendar to know what day it is. All I have to do is pull into the YMCA parking lot and take a look around. Almost every space is filled. Just a week earlier, I could have parked anywhere I wanted, diagonal, sideways, maybe even backing in a space if I was feeling frisky. Now I’m circling like a buzzard over roadkill, hoping someone finishes their workout before I finish my patience.     Once inside, the evidence becomes ove

My last photo of Mom taken just before her accident.  Christmas is known as the season of light. It’s the time of year when Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of the light in the person of Jesus. That’s why our home and trees are illuminated – it’s a reference to the light God gave us in a world of increasing darkness.  However, there are a few times in your life when you are fortunate enough to see a glimpse of The True Light.  This is one of those times.  Thi

Well, it’s official. Today I learned that I am too old to buy a truck. On a day when most people rejoice because they have something shiny and new in their driveway, I’m a bit depressed. I’ve realized that what I just bought isn’t a truck with a computer, it’s a computer with four tires; and it may be above my pay grade.  Think I’m kidding?  Once we consummated the sale, I spent almost two hours sitting in the vehicle while the salesman hooked me up to the Internet,  and show

“What the hell did you do that for?” Is not something I usually say at one of the happiest places on earth. Yet there I was on my last trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, saying it to my wife. Because on the second morning, in front of my kids and grandkids, she committed a small but unforgivable act of betrayal, one that stomped my dignity flat. She ordered me an electric scooter.       Yes, I arrived with a bum right knee. Yes, I walked about eight miles the first day tha

Ah, Thanksgiving - the holiday built around gratitude, family, and if we are being honest, food. I could add football to the list, but most games on Thanksgiving are so dull they just hasten the inevitable post-meal nap.      It’s definitely an American holiday that’s based on abundance.  Every November, families gather around dining room tables that groan under the weight of golden turkeys, dressing, spiral ham, buttery mashed potatoes, and assorted homemade casseroles.    

I’ll remember that day for a while, especially how fast everything changed. It’s still hard to believe that one minute I was in nirvana , and in an instant, it became purgatory . Let me explain.        I was on a jet ski , cruising on a lake at 40 miles an hour without a care in the world. Nothing but me, smooth water, a life jacket, and the high-pitched drone of the motor. Million dollar homes zipped by like dollhouses. I saw cliffs and trees that belonged on The Nature Chan

Sometimes you just get lucky.  Recently, I was  asked to speak to a group of senior citizens who were participating in an event called...

I just got back from Tractor Supply, where I picked up a big ol’ chunk of rock salt. Don’t worry - it’s not for attracting deer. It’s for...

Our teacher walked in, sat down among us, looked around the room, and said: “If anybody in here can name all the Kardashian sisters and...

It was near the end of summer in 1965. The beginning of school hung over me like a dark shadow. What’s worse, before it even began, I had...

Well, in just a few days it’s going to happen. A small number of students at the University of Alabama will discover  that a dinosaur...

“Laughter is the best medicine” is a cliché everyone knows. And it is based on the truth. Studies have shown that laughter relieves...

I drifted back into consciousness expecting to see smiling faces; after all, it wasn’t supposed to be major surgery. Yes, they removed a...

There are lots of things folks complain about in this day and time.  We use so many cheap, substandard  products from China that aren’t...

" I'm late, I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say 'hello, goodbye,' I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"                      ...

“When the rain comes, they run and hide their heads.”                                                 Rain -                             ...

I have a tiny place on a lake. And for all the good that lake life offers, there is one thing about it I can’t stand. It drives me ...