It is my strong and abiding philosophy that good springs forth from the midst of whatever bad happens to us. In the recent days that now trail behind me as time spent sweetly, I have luxuriated in the good that came from the water line break that practically demolished my childhood home.

It was shocking to see the devastating damage and all the material possessions lost, many of no value monetarily yet invaluable to my heart. Read More»

The text that my sister sent was simple yet so powerful: “He is gone to be with God.”

For 36 hours, we had expected the inevitable but it is also inevitable that tears will come in times like that.

Richard, whom I had known since childhood, and who was much beloved by our family had succumbed to the curse of his bloodline – a heart disorder that has methodically, relentlessly claimed members of his family. His 36-year-old niece had died from it just a few weeks earlier. Read More»

There was a man I knew once, who lived for a good time. Work, he believed and ardently practiced, was only good for providing a means to an end, the end result being that of his vigorous pursuit of wine, women and song.

Of course, in the case of any decent, self-respecting, old-fashioned Southern redneck, for him it was beer, not wine, but as any Puritan will tell you: The devil’s brew is the devil’s brew, no matter what it’s called. Read More»

The other day I ran into General Robert E. Lee, along with his wife, and his arch nemesis, General Ulysses S. Grant.

I had just finished a speaking engagement at the TRR Cobb House in Athens, Ga. (Mr. Cobb, among many accomplishments, co-founded the University of Georgia Law School. He died at Fredericksburg defending the Confederate Constitution which he had authored). Read More»

It is possible that I could say that I didn’t believe my eyes. The truth is, though, that when it comes to the bizarre, the absurd, the downright unnatural, my eyes pretty much believe whatever they see.

Such as the world has become. Read More»

My friend, Linda, is one of those kinds of friends that drift in and out of my life. The kind of friend that I see infrequently but when we gather together over lunch or dinner, it’s as though we’ve had coffee together every morning for the past six months. Our conversation isn’t constant but our friendship is. Read More»

It sounded like a great idea at the time. Most of my ideas do. “Hair-brained scheme,” is what Mama sometimes called them.

Last year, I greeted the New Year with the proclamation that I wanted to make it a “year of me.” I groused over how life had taken control of me and that I did too many things that I didn’t want to. I declared that I would begin saying “no” to that which did not interest me instead of saying “yes” out of courtesy. I planned to be selfish not selfless, to maneuver life, not be manipulated by it. I declared that 2010 would be all about me. I was giddy with anticipation. Read More»

His name was Ricky and though I remember the gift he gave me that Christmas 30 years ago, I don’t recall his last name. I wish I did.

Boy, was he cute. He had red hair, blue eyes that sat amidst a lake of freckles and a smile that few people ever saw though he shyly shared it with me on occasion.

I always saw him as I sauntered toward my fourth period home economics class that was directly across from his. He was a few years younger and was one of a handful of students in the Special Ed class. Read More»

In a moment of not perfectly clear thinking, I agreed to sit on a panel composed of several women for a television show. The idea was that we so-called “experts” would answer questions posed by guys who wanted to know about the inside thinking of a woman.

“How can I know if a woman I have asked out, wants me to kiss her at the end of the date?” was one question.

An outspoken panelist, who jumped in to answer each question first and loudest, announced (and this is the gist, not the identical wording), “Oh, get real. If we agree to go out with you, we plan to kiss you.” Read More»

When a friend and I were planning a winter time trip to London, we were discussing, as women tend to, what clothes we were packing.

Women can never go on a trip or to a special event, without having other women approve their wardrobe, especially those who will be in attendance.

Just in case you didn’t know that. Read More»