it's the journey, man
Word Warrior is a collection of poetry and prose. It is rife with insights, hindsight, reflections, regrets, celebrations, loss, family, friends, aching bones, breaking hearts, faith, hope, and love. The book contains a love song I wrote for Donya in 1979 and a piece of a song I wrote about a stranger when I was…
I recently posted a poem on my Facebook author page titled Canceled. I did not anticipate the level of engagement it would generate since it was just a little ditty about a current societal phenomenon. Well, really it is not so phenomenal or current, since people have been canceling or attempting to cancel one another…
My grandson Ty is on Spring Break. I wanted to spend some time with him because he is 18 and the window is closing fast for that sort of thing. Soon, he will be moving on to adulthood and the pursuits of ambitious young men. Most of Ty’s formative years were spent living under my…
Delivering a public speech is unlike any other experience in life. I first addressed a crowd of people, albeit a small group, maybe 30 or so, when I was only seven years old. The only thing I vividly remember about that year of my life was the way I felt while standing on a chair…
By the time those born around the time of the Civil War””like social reformer Jane Addams, three-time presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan and their peers””came of age, nearly every aspect of their world had changed. Between the 1870s and the dawn of the 20th century, Americans witnessed revolutions in daily life, from what they wore to how they…
This is a written confession, a mia culpa. I give myself writing projects because I want to hold myself accountable. Wednesday Noon is one example of the accountability effort. This assures that I will write something every week. Like any other skill, writing improves with practice and exercise. The singer, painter, sculptor, and dancer improve…
Rollercoaster, RollercoasterGive me a rideMake me highDrop me lowToss me toToss me fro Rollercoaster, RollercoasterHere’s an asideYou’re no journeyYou’re just a rideNo place to goNor abide Rollercoaster, RollercoasterI can’t decideYou make some fussWhile you go nowhereBut you wanna take usAnd that’s not fair Rollercoaster, RollercoasterMy nerves are friedI’ll sit this one outMy familiar friendI’ve no…
Saying I grew up in a conservative Baptist church is the same kind of understatement as saying Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups®are the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. We were suspicious of conservatives who adhered to fewer “standards” than we did…and those standards were high, let me tell you. Why me Lord, what have…
There was a time when families, like nations, flew their flags…flags that bore a crest with emblematic symbols and sometimes mottoes.
If success is a storyThen let me tell mineThough the road to gloryHas been a hard ride The money’s been tightAnd the troubles aplentyHadn’t it been for bad luckI’d not have had any I’ve been down more than upI’ve been out more than inI drain the bitter cupThen fill it again I’ve walked on glassWhen…
Some folks want to be somebody while others just want somebody to be. Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. 2Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth” a stranger, not your own lips. 3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a…
Top 10 things about my Mom: Faith. I have called her the true believer so many times, and that is what she is. Mom was, in her day, a powerful alto singer. She had that Adelle quality voice before there was an Adelle. A few songs I cannot hear without hearing my Mom sing them….
Forget Red Bull. Blackwing gives you wings. Getting ready for a big moment today, I hauled out my trusty Blackwing 602 lead pencil and scratched More than a year ago, Donya bought me a box of these special pencils used by some of America’s great writers and sketchers. I wrote about it here. And here’s…
Today, we are 61 years removed from September 28, 1961. That maybe means more to me than most. In 1961, President Eisenhower left the White House in the care of President-elect John F. Kennedy, who urged Americans to Ask not what your country can do for you (Apparently, his Democratic successors were not paying attention,…
Vapor… I don’t care if you are the modern version of Methuselah, you are only here for a little while. A very little while. I try not to think about that every day but every now and then I do, and all the more frequently since my July 4th near-miss heart attack.
A very little while, indeed.
The Eagles Rock N Roll Theology Listening to the Eagles on Spotify, I came across the song Learn to be Still and could not remember knowing it, though maybe I did at some point. The song arrested my attention, so I listened to it on a loop for a while before looking up the lyrics….
I lived, for awhile, in Odessa, Texas when I was a boy. My Dad and his partner, a fellow named Earl, owned and operated Basin Battery & Electric in Odessa, and my grandfather was pastor of some little independent Baptist church, the name of which I do not recall. If I had to guess, I…
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. -The Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi, Philippians 1:21, the Holy Bible For most Americans, Independence Day 2022 will be remembered as a day of tragedy and triumph. The triumph of the American ideal of ‘liberty for all’ continues to hold sway…
Today marks our 42nd wedding anniversary, Donya and me. Forty-two years of marriage. Forty-two years of marriage. Forty-two! My good friend and coworker Keith Craft, when teaching someone about something that is difficult to accomplish, likes to say, ‘It sounds easy if you say it real fast.’ I don’t know if you can say 42…
“There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Mark Twain It starts with peer pressure There is no pressure like peer pressure. ‘Everyone is doing it’ is more than a young teen’s cry when trying to get by with wearing a too-short skirt or drinking or smoking weed at a party. It is the pressure we…