Lack of empathy often troubling
One night while out to dinner, I noticed an elegant elderly lady at the next table over who was dining alone. I was drawn to her because sorrow clouded her eyes and she smiled sadly, the kind we all force when we do not feel happy.
Grooming up for a zinger
A visit to the West Coast can't hide Southern elegance of a columnist groomed to find stories.
Parents instill sweet lessons
When I was growing up — probably well into my college years — Mama’s last words as I walked out the door were always the same:
Just remember: two pair please
Features column
One evening I was sorting through clothes in the bedroom while Tink, settled in a comfortable chair, was (as usual) fiddling with his phone. A message he read triggered a story.
Home becomes a trail of words
In this house of wood and stones that I call home, there are books scattered and stacked hither and yon.
The things you learn at a beauty shop
When I breezed into the beauty shop amidst the chatter of voices and clatter of hair dryers and curling irons, I noticed the thick book dropped casually in a chair and it struck me as a bit strange. It’s rare to see anyone reading that book these days. It was probably the first time in decades that a copy of it has seen the inside of a beauty shop.
Calf now part of family circus
It was a sweet sight, no doubt. My heart is always drawn to God’s animal creatures, especially those who have found themselves abandoned young.
Rotten parents raise ‘em right
One day I asked a friend how her son was doing in college. She smiled then began a discourse on how he was enjoying his field of study and what he could do with his degree when he graduated.
Miss Loretta gives new meaning to the word optimist
Several years ago, I befriended a woman in Cincinnati, Ohio, but then you know that, don’t you? I’ve told you all about Miss Loretta.
Our childhood should be filled with happiness
A picture — even one old that has faded from black and white to soft gray — can tell a story, long and true. That one certainly did.
Californian imparts wisdom from Deep South
There is a friend of mine — one of the heroes I have known and loved — who is fascinating in the life lessons he shares and the accumulation of wisdom that seems to come so easily to him.
Star-making’s a quiet role
It was all my idea. As immodest as that might sound, it’s true. Now that my friend, Karen, has made it to the big time, she should be reminded that it all started with one of my hair-brained schemes.
Helping others is the best legacy to give
Daddy and Mama both spent a lot of time seeing after the needs of others. They comforted, called and cooked for those who were, in some way, suffering.
Good cookware is never ‘purdy’
Whenever I take out my biscuit pan — and every Southern cook worth her salt and grease has one — I can’t help but shake my head.
I don’t cotton to those critics
A couple of years ago when I deemed it absolutely necessary to cross the big pond and investigate my heritage that had been seeded in Northern Ireland, I had the good fortune of being introduced to a renowned historian who, through greater good fortune, has become a friend.
