Last weekend, we went to see the new movie on the life of Jackie Robinson. I highly recommend it and in my opinion, it’s one of the better baseball stories ever told. The result of this venture with Mr. Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers’ owner, Branch Rickey, did a lot to begin a major culture shift in America. Eight and a half years before Rosa Parks boarded the bus in December of 1955, Jackie Robinson [...]

Well, here we go again. Yes, it’s remarkable that these terrorist attacks haven’t happened more often since 9/11. True. There are lots of people to thank for that and there are reasons to be grateful. But that is of no comfort to the victims of yesterday’s bombings. April 15, 2013 AM . . . all is well, families are excited to be going to the marathon. Spring is here. No April 15th will ever pass [...]

So, it’s been a while since I’ve written. Here’s a little catch-up from the most recent to a few weeks past. I was in Nashville last week and did a concert with Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris at Christ Church. What a place! Standing room only! In Nashville??? What??? Someone said “the best way to play Nashville is NOT to play Nashville”. Lots of biz people that have seen and heard it all. It was [...]

I’m sorry, but I can’t stand this anymore. I wasn’t going to write anything about what happened in Connecticut last Friday – there are more than enough opinions and forums for people to express them. Actually, that in itself becomes ridiculous in that everyone can voice and opinion – no matter their understanding or no matter what little information or conviction they might have. I just don’t have to listen to it or read it [...]

The Soul of a Community Small towns know how to rally. My Mom passed away on a Tuesday and the network of dear, long-time friends and “neighbors” in the truest sense of the word, spun into action and did everything that needed to be done and more. Our little town, in the northeastern corner of Louisiana, has seen some decline over the last couple of decades. On every recent visit, I’ve noticed something else changed [...]

My dear Mom passed away last night around 9 PM. One more of the greatest generation has slipped away. They weren’t given that title casually. It fits. She was a great lady. Mom was 88 years old and has dealt with lots of annoying physical ailments for years. Three and a half years ago, she moved into the nursing home a quarter of a mile from my childhood home. She left the house she’d lived [...]

One of TV’s good guys, Andy Griffith, passed away today. I came home this afternoon and did the usual quick scan of the news page on the computer. I admit I’m a little unfazed by most of the stories. Some are horrific – so much so that I really can’t bring myself to dig into the details, and others fall into the category of “wow . . . are they hurting for stories today?” So, [...]

I went to visit my mom this week. By a surprising act of Providence, my Aunt Melba and her son, my cousin, Eric, had come up to visit from Fort Walton Beach, FL on the same day. When mom, my brother and I get together, we tell stories and have a few laughs. Most of the time, we re-tell a handful of the best ones and when you mix in other relatives, they always take [...]

My wife gave me a puzzle at Christmas. It has 750 pieces. I can’t remember the last time I set out to construct a puzzle at all, much less one with that many pieces. My 88 year-old mother works puzzles but she prefers the 60 piece versions. She doesn’t like the ones with animals. And by the way, if you want to know what mom likes, uh, just ask her. The picture, cut into all [...]

  Most sports fans in Houston have shamelessly boarded the NFL’s Texans bandwagon.  Those of us that pledge our loyalties to other teams for most of the season (mine goes to the Greenbay Packers for a lot of reasons) have allowed the local team a little love.   And, wow, they took us by storm with a run of 7 wins in a row with a team that’s had more than it’s share of setbacks.  [...]