By Glenn Dromgoole Nancy Patrick is a regular contributor to Spirit of Abilene. Her pieces are upbeat, thoughtful, insightful. I always enjoy what she has to say. Nancy also writes something else very well, something we all should do more of. Nancy writes compliments. Compliments. I wrote a light-hearted piece last week about how I love chicken legs, or drumsticks. There wasn’t
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Foul balls aren’t really the worst things in the world. Generally, unless they’re caught, at least one more swing is assured. Missing the ball by even one-millionth of an inch on the third strike results in a “whiff” that can cause serious sleep disruptions. Okay, so much for framing with baseball jargon. If I get
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By Aravind Mohan I was born and brought up in the heart of South India, in a city that was once called Madras and is now known as Chennai. It is a bustling metropolitan city, full of energy, culture, and endless opportunities. Growing up there was a memorable experience. I remember the early morning temple bells, the constant hum of
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By Danny Minton It Seems Like Only Yesterday…When we received the call, “How would you like a baby boy?” It Seems Like Only Yesterday…When the caller asked excitedly, “Do you want another boy?” It Seems Like Only Yesterday…When I held my boys, rocking them to sleep at night. It Seems Like Only Yesterday…When I could hold both sons, one in
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By Glenn Dromgoole What is your favorite piece of chicken? Mine has always been the chicken leg, the drumstick. At one of my favorite buffets that serves exceptional old-fashioned fried chicken – meaning it is cooked in a cast-iron skillet – when I ask for a chicken leg, the server invariably says: “Right or left?” I laugh. “How about both?”
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By Jim Nichols It was an undergraduate class in Shakespeare, and I was a graduate student in zoology. Several friends recommended the class and professor if I wanted an exceptional experience. I could audit the class at minimal cost, not take tests or write papers, and learn from an unusual classroom leader. I took the bait and was changed in
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The event is “brain-etched,” deeply embedded and validated by the calendar. It was May of 1962, all “heady stuff” for a one-year-out-of-college guy invited to make a commencement address. The distance was 87 miles from Brownwood to London in Texas’ beautiful Hill Country, where I would speak at graduation exercises for four seniors at
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Click here to read local Catholic responses to the election of Pope Leo XIV. Click here to register for Abilene events. By Loretta Fulton Catholics from across the Diocese of San Angelo are expected in Abilene this weekend for two events, including an opportunity to participate in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage began in Indianapolis on May 18 and
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By Glenn Dromgoole It’s summer, and churches all over town are having Vacation Bible School — and that brings to mind the most memorable VBS of my life. And I wasn’t even a participant. It was 60 years ago, the summer of 1965. In our little Southeast Texas town, where my dad pastored the Baptist church, the church decided to
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