By Glenn Dromgoole I was privileged to have a number of grownups who cared about me when I was growing up. But there was always one special grownup, one great friend, who not only cared about me but who was fun. She laughed often and laughed heartily. There was always a twinkle in her eyes. Decades later, her wonderful laugh
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By Jim Nichols In the American Midwest of the 1950s, if a family wished to buy a different house or move to another neighborhood, one starting point was the Sunday local newspaper. Moving was a momentous activity for the family and involved not only finances, but school districts, work commute distances, and concerns about friendships. “House-hunting” did not occur for
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By Danny Minton My hometown has changed a lot since we moved there in the winter of 1954/55. At that time, the population of Plano, Texas, was hovering around 3,000 people. The 1950 census stood at 2,126, and by 1960, it would quickly burst at the seams, reaching 3,694. The population today is estimated at around 300,000, or roughly 81
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By Darryl Tippens America’s big birthday is here, but not everyone is into the spirit of it. One person tells me, “I’m not feeling it.” With the daily deluge of negative news I can understand why she’s pretty bummed; but, still, I believe this year’s birthday shouldn’t be passed over. Here are four reasons why I’m happy to celebrate: First,
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Mike Patrick I had the privilege of teaching hundreds of undergraduate and seminary students from Hardin-Simmons, Abilene Christian, and McMurry Universities over a 20+ year span while serving as Coordinator of Ministry Education at Henrick Medical Center. A few of those students went on to become military chaplains. For example, Commander Alan Rogers, deputy force chaplain for the 12th Marine
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By Loretta Fulton Multiple Independence Day celebrations will pay tribute to the nation’s 250th birthday, and one “Dependence Day” observance is set for July 3. The “Dependence Day” observance is to acknowledge a dependence on God and is sponsored by the Catholic West Texans for Life. The observance will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 3, at Nelson
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By Loretta Fulton Amy Boone doesn’t see herself as an activist, but rather someone who is moved to action by injustice. Those actions might include showing up in person at a rally or event or a Facebook post. Most recently, she spearheaded the placement of a marker noting the site where Grover C. Everett was murdered by members of the
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By Glenn Dromgoole When we moved to a new neighborhood a few years ago, we were pleasantly surprised to see that, on our trash pickup days, our empty dumpster had been rolled up to our garage by someone. We didn’t know who. It happened early in the morning before we were up and about. It was a thoughtful gesture, and
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By Nancy Patrick As a writer, I confess not only to fretting over word choice but sometimes to an entire essay. This particular essay is my fourth attempt to express my feelings about the complexities and implications of fatherhood, and I still question if I have accomplished my goal. I begin with a poem by Robert Hayden I taught in
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