With the onslaught of a caustic election, coupled with a toxic virus, I’ve heard people say, “I have nothing to be thankful for.” Really? Let me tell you what I’m thankful for. After a good night’s sleep, I awoke this…

For those who know me, you know that I keep a journal, which I started in 1966. I was fourteen. Reading back over the years is bittersweet – the mountain tops, the valleys; the gains, the losses; the loves, the…

When I was a child in the late 50s and early 60s, Thanksgiving was always a family affair. Mom, Dad, and I usually celebrated it alone, just the three of us enjoying a simple, pleasant time together. Mom cooked a…

“Kal! We’re going to Disney World for New Year’s! And we’re staying at the Grand Floridian! I won’t take NO for an answer!” I could almost feel Aston’s excitement crackling through the phone lines. “I’ve not seen you in years,”…

While watching old movies, I often wonder if the actors who appear in them ever watch themselves on TCM. As they stroll down memory lane, what do they see in the flickering gray light of their former theatrical glory? Do…

Death is multifaceted. After a loved one passes away, first comes the pain of loss, the tears, the funeral, the closing of the casket, and the cemetery. Not long after, though, the business side of death comes calling. The will’s…

Christmas is many things to many people. Giving special gifts. Traveling to unusual places. Fun with special people. But most of all, Christmas is a season of traditions. Each year at this time, families all over the world re-create those…

One year ago today, February 22, 2019, God called my dear mother Home. The morning was foggy with rain. A dull silence filled the house. I’d slept a somewhat sleepless night, pondering what the future held for Mom and me…

Because of my age, my friend’s parents are in their late 80s or early 90s. Attending their funerals is bittersweet—happily they’re Home, though, no more tears, no more pain. Their funerals evoke something else, too, another day and age. While…

I love this month—warm days, somewhat cool nights, a respite before the onslaught of a sticky-hot, south Mississippi summer! I also love lilies and caladiums. It gives me great pleasure to lovingly plant the bulbs in winter. Then, in early…

In 1962, at the ripe old age of ten, I remember thinking, “Seventy! Yikes! That’s really old!” As I sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my seventy-year-old Aunt Pocahontas Maria Price (yes, that was her real name), I studied the deep crevices…

Dear Mom, Oh! How I miss you! I don’t know where the past four years have gone since last I heard your sweet voice, felt the warmth of your loving touch, and saw the sparkle in your blue eyes. Do…